


The Keri Diaries

by Tamoline



Category: Chronicles of Amber - Roger Zelazny
Genre: But not for some time, F/F, Gen, Some character from the books do turn up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-10 04:11:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 165,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3276224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamoline/pseuds/Tamoline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four years ago, Keri's world ended as body-hopping *things* invaded and annihilated civilisation. In the time since, things have pretty much settled down to a new normal of Keri scavenging from the ruins, along with what other survivors there were.</p><p>Until now. Until a new insanity threatens to overturn Keri's world and present her with a whole new set of challenges.</p><p>Warning: May involve a school for talented children, a snarky princess and an assassin with a penchant for shoes. Some of these may even feature outside the confines of Keri's head</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Found on a recording device in a ruined shopping centre

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story-fied version of a game I played in some years back, so there are some structural oddities, but at least some people have thought that it hangs together fairly well. It also doesn't feature a concrete end per se, at least for the foreseeable future, since the campaign terminated at least in part due to the loss of one of the participants. That being said, this isn't a story that really builds up to one defining conclusion - it's more about Keri's journey and how she grows, what successes she carves out and what mistakes she makes.
> 
> And that, there is quite a bit of. (30 chapters in all)

  
Uh, hi?

This is the audio diary of Keridwen A'Court. No, don't ask me why mum got me this for my birthday. I don't have any idea either. I guess she didn't have any better ideas now that I'm too old for her to get dollies any more. I'm fairly sure she would have got me yet *another* one unless I had told her that. So, this. Cool, I guess.

 

Oh my goddess. I can't believe it. It doesn't make sense. I was, like, watching television when suddenly one of the actors looked at me, I swear, and said:  
'This is the way the world ends.' 

And then the screaming started. At first I thought it was from the screen. But it wasn't. It was from everywhere. Like the whole world screamed in unison.

I guess I screamed myself. And then it stopped. Dead. I scrambled to my feet, ran to try and find mum and dad. They were on the floor, spasming. But it was like they were spasming in unison. I ran over to them, tried to ask them what was going on. And then I got a good look at their faces. They weren't there. It wasn't them. It was like something was wearing mom and dad suits. Badly. I stopped thinking for a while. I don't know how long. Slowly their spasming stopped, and they got to their feet. In unison. Then they started awkwardly dancing. Moving together. Merging. (sob)

 

OK, better now. I lost it completely, and ran. 

In the stairwell outside the apartment, there was a scream, and old Mrs Jenkins plummeted past me to crunch down below. But the scream wasn't one of fear. It was like a kid on his favourite ride. I blinked. And started downstairs. Oh goddess. There was blood everywhere, pooling across the floor (whimper) She... she was dead. Just then there was a scream from up above. I swear it was exactly the same. I couldn't move. Her husband landed next to me. I started shaking. (sob)

 

There was some eerie singing from the ground floor, kind of human, but not quite. I just ran for my secret place, the one that noone else knows, at the back of the basement. I'm there now.

I don't know why I even have this stupid thing on me, let alone who I'm recording this for. There was a awful lot of shuffling a while ago, and all the movements have stopped. I don't know if there's anyone left in the building. If it's safe to come out now. If it's ever going to be alright again.

(sob) My name is Keridwen A'Court. I'm twelve and a half. And I'm very, very scared.

 

Last night, the city burned. The first I knew about it was the smell of smoke. It make me cough. I couldn't breath. I had to get out. Upstairs was already on fire. I don't know how, but I somehow made it out. The streets outside were chaotic. They were full of people, or what were once people. Almost everyone I saw had something else behind their eyes. There was a street full of pulsating flesh. One burning apartment block had a crowd of people surrounding it. One by one, they dived into the flames. Screaming. But not in pain.

I just kept quiet. Noone really seemed to to notice me in all the madness. The local mall didn't seem to be burning, so I went there. Made a bed for myself with some clothes in a changing room and hid there. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep, but I did. I'm really hungry now, so I'm going to try and sneak out and get some food.

 

Oh goddess. The mall was mostly empty, but... there were some people in the food court. Just shoving food in their mouths. One woman's stomach had split open, but she just kept shoving more food in. You could see it coming out the slit. She just grabbed the food that came out and shoved it back in her mouth. I grabbed some food from some other shops. I couldn't go near the food court again.

 

It's been a few weeks now, I think. I've stayed in the mall scavenging. It stinks of rot and death, but there's food here. I'm afraid to go out.

But good news, kind of. I met my first proper people today. Well, the first since it happened. I saw a group of other people today, grabbing supplied from Walmart. They didn't have anyone wearing them. I cried as I ran towards them. The man just aimed a Tesla gun at me and fired. Luckily he missed. I ran behind a stand and screamed that I wasn't like the others. Couldn't they *see*? He shouted back to leave them alone, or they'd shoot me. He burned a hole in the stand to prove his point. I ran.

But at least there's people, right? They can't all want to shoot me, can they?

 

One of *them* attacked me today. I don't know why. It didn't look human anymore. Oh goddess. I froze, until it touched me with it's spines. I tried to run, but it had me. I panicked, and... And I hit it. Again and again. It may not have looked human, but it's blood was still red. I had to wash off. I knew I'd need the bottled water, but I just had to get clean.

I don't know how I managed to hurt it that much, with just my fists and feet. What's happening to me? Am I one of them, and I just don't know it?

 

I haven't used this in some time. I don't know how long. Years? I thought I was doing well. I thought I understood the new rules. I thought I was surviving. But it's all going mad now. Again. I just hope I can keep my head above the water this time.

Keridwen A'Court, signing off.


	2. Chapter 2

Life isn’t easy in the city of Neffern, and it hasn’t been for some time. Ever since *they* came. One day, there was a noise, a kind of scream, and *they* arrived, and wore people like badly fitting suits of clothing. My parents were among them. The city went mad. The people who hadn’t been taken panicked and fought back, to no avail. Any time a taken body was killed, someone else nearby was taken. Sometimes *they* just killed themselves for no good reason I could see. The survivors hid. Many fled out of the city. I don’t know what happened to them. Some stayed, scavenging the ruins, surviving on the remains of the city, avoiding the taken. I’m among them. I was twelve and a half when they came, and it’s been around two years since, judging by the seasons. My name is Keridwen A’Court, and I’m keeping this journal because life has just got even stranger. 

 

_The knife sliced smoothly into his back, sliding between two vertebrae. I held his body to mine like a lover’s and lowered him gently to the floor. I moved silently to the window, sliding down the line into the inky black of the night cycle._

 

I woke up and shivered. I looked down at my hands, half expecting them to be covered in blood. Why couldn’t nice things happen to me even when I was asleep? I wasn’t even sure why I was dreaming of killing someone, or why the sensation should be so vivid. It’s never something I’d done in real life. I shivered again. Nor wanted to. I looked up and briefly caught what looked like me as a sad princess in the remnants of her finery, before it shifted to my actual image of being dressed in a parka. That was just the remnants of another dream, I told myself. Well, enough mooning around. I got up and gathered my things. It was time to start gathering food.

The day started uneventfully enough. I was attacked by a pack of feral dogs, who decided discretion was the better part of valour after I killed their leader with an axe blow. (A fire axe I’d liberated from a building, then removed a sizable chunk of its handle to make it easier to carry.) I grabbed the carcass – no sense in letting good meat go to waste. Hoisting it over one shoulder, I headed back to my current squat. As I passed a stack of old TVs standing behind the shattered remnants of an old shop front, one crackled to life. Uncharacteristically, I paused for a moment. It was a static filled black and white image showing a distorted face staring out of the screen. Directly at me. It was my own face, but different. I didn't have a spider's web tattoo over one cheek.

"You have to listen, Keri. They're coming."

The screen went blank again. I guess I stood there staring at it for a minute or two. *This* had never happened before. Then sounds of approaching footsteps impringed upon my consciousness. Lots of them. I was already ducking for cover before I even heard the unearthly sound of *their* music. I ran through the shop into the back alleyways and started running away from the sounds of people, vaulting low walls and scrambling up the sides of buildings where I could. Keeping hold of the dog carcass made this... challenging at times, but I wasn't about to let go of my dinner.

At last I couldn't hear anything, footsteps or *them* both. It was getting late, so I made my way back to the squat, taking care to make sure nothing was following me. I hadn't found anyone, human or them, who could follow me across the remnants of the city when I was in full flow.

Checking the rooftop of the apartment, I found my bird traps had caught a few straggly specimens. I started taking them downstairs so I could prepare them as well as the dog when the world shivered, and it felt like I was falling. Suddenly the building I was in was different. It ddin't just look disused, it looked blasted. There was a ragged hole blown straight through one apartment into the stairwell. I shivered. What was this? Had they managed to come up with something new now? I inched my way down the stairs, trying to remain quiet. There was light coming from underneath the door of my squat. My nerve broke. I needed my kit, but not this much. I dived out of the nearest window, three stories in all, to the ground, rolled to my feet and just kept on going. I ducked into the nearest alley, my natural environment, and ran and scrambled until I was about three blocks away. It was then that I took stock of my surroundings. I had only moved into the neighbourhood recently – I didn’t like to stick in the same place for too long – but I was fairly sure that it wasn’t this decrepit last time I looked. Rather than looking like it had been mostly abandoned for a few years, it looked like it had been decades. Doors had fallen off their hinges, many houses had partially collapsed and everywhere it was dead quiet. I shivered again. Even Neffern after they came wasn’t usually this quiet. I retrieved the solar powered radio from out of my backpack and held it up, then twiddled the dial. Nothing but static. The usual chatter of people keeping themselves sane by talking to the ether just wasn’t there. It was like everyone had just suddenly, quietly died and I was the only one left.

I holed up in one of the more intact buildings for the night. Although I had lost the dog, at least I still had the birds, which quietened the rumbling in my stomach somewhat. And then I lay down and, ears ready to hear any out of place sound, I went to sleep.

I woke up as I was falling. I thrust my arms out in front of me and bashed them into the floor. As the dizziness subsided I scrambled to my feet. It had happened again. I looked around, but in the darkness, nothing seemed to have changed. I settled back down again for the night.

In the morning, everything looked back to normal. The buildings were back to their old state of disrepair. The preacher on the radio was still proclaiming that the Goddess would return soon to judge us for our sins. I swung by the apartment, and found my belongings there untouched, including the dog which was beginning to smell a little ripe. So I sliced it up, and ate what I could, taking the rest in a bag. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I didn’t want it to happen again, so I gathered my things and left.

 

_A bearded man’s face looks down at me. “Well done. You have made me proud.” He was standing in black shiny armour and holding up the head of a man I had just handed to him._

 

I woke up, reeling. Outside, I could hear voices and feet. I peeked at the window. I could see a gang of people outside. The largest I can remember seeing that wasn’t controlled by them. They were all heavily armed, so I made sure not to move, not to do anything that might attract their attention. It was night, a couple of days later, and so it took me a few minutes to realise the oddest thing about them. They didn’t seem to be trying to hide, which was fairly peculiar, but weirder that that, they were all young. For one reason or another, children didn’t tend to survive long when they came. It was one of the reasons that other survivors didn’t trust me when we met. Didn’t trust? Sorry, I meant try to kill. I had learnt early on to avoid other people. It took me time to realise that they didn’t seem to know when someone was one of them just by looking at them.

I prepped my Tesla gun, just in case, and kept an eye on the crowd. They didn’t look like others, but I didn’t trust weirdness. Better safe than sorry. They eventually headed off in the direction of a green, glowing tower that I definitely didn’t recognise. I kept watch, just in case they returned. Eventually there was another dizzy spell, and the tower disappeared. I decided that it was probably all over now, and I needed my sleep, so I slipped into a doze.

 

Over the next few days, these weird slips started happening more and more. It wasn’t just me, either. The radio waves were full of stories of people disappearing, or strange people appearing. The preacher naturally took this as a sign that the Goddess was about to return. In all cases, it seemed accompanied by severe dizziness – much worse than I had experienced. Falling over, throwing up, unable to move seemed to be the most common story. Luckily, all the reports seemed to be saying that the slips were strictly temporary. Possibly worse for me was the dreams and visions that had also started. The dreams where I felt dislocated, like I was someone else, were bad. But occasionally even during the day, I was getting visions of being somewhere else. Looking through someone else’s eyes. Most of them seemed to be centred in what looked like an underground city. I was someone who looked like me, but wasn’t. She was a killer, from what I could tell. I wasn’t sure why, and I almost threw up on one occasion as I felt someone’s arm fracture in her grasp. I hadn’t heard of anyone else getting these, but then, I guess, I wouldn’t.

One slip involved me travelling to a blasted desert with what looked like that same green, glowing tower. It was glistening and organic looking in the night. This time the stars were wrong – there were too few of them. Luckily the experience only lasted a few steps before I was back home again.

 

_The man with red hair stood in front of me, his face filled with a smile that did not reach his eyes. He invited me again to appear in public to celebrate our betrothal. I took pains to convince him that I was as happy about our upcoming wedding as he thought I should be. I didn't need reminding of the consequences if I failed in this._

 

About a week later, the world swayed again and suddenly I was surrounded by people. I freaked. I hadn’t seen this many people since they came, and they were all around me. I couldn’t see them all, couldn’t see whether or not they were going to hurt me. I ran for the door of the nearest building, an apartment block. I hardly bothered checking it was locked before slamming my axe into the lock with my full strength behind it. The wood splintered easily, and I burst through the door into the entrance of the block. No one seemed to be around in the immediate, so I quickly found the basement, and folded up behind some storage boxes. Time passed and footsteps approached the room. The lights came on, and I held my breath, but the light flicked back off again after a few seconds and the footsteps receded. I waited and waited until I was fairly sure that night had fallen before emerging.

I passed a woman entering the building as I exited. She was dressed in clothing I half remembered from before they came. She had an amulet with some strange sigils on it that I didn’t recognise. It had a weird buzz around it. She gave me a curious look as I left, probably wondering at the ragged, dirty girl that was leaving her building, but didn’t pursue me.

Outside it was indeed night, though a night lit up in a way I had almost forgotten. There were far fewer people around, though more than I was comfortable with. They dressed in mostly familiar ways, though many of the better dressed had amulets or bracelets with similar symbols and buzz. Some buildings I passed, mostly shops, also had those symbols on them. I tried to keep to the less well used areas, and just looked around, like I was in a dream. All these people, happy and sad and just going about their life. It seemed almost stranger than anything else I had seen.

I stopped when I recognised the buildings around me. I was in my old neighbourhood. I felt like I was torn. On one hand, I wanted to go see the apartment where I had lived, to see what was there. On the other hand… I didn’t. It hurt. I wandered around in circle for a bit before realising that it was getting light. I quickly found a house which had been abandoned when I had known it and apparently still was. I quickly climbed onto the roof to leave some bird traps and then wiggled between some loose boards to enter the house. I laid my head down and tried to escape the whirling confusion and pain in sleep.

 

I woke up. It hurt. I woke a little more and remembered why. My stomach rumbled, distracting me. It was still light out. I could hear children playing and people walking by. I decided to wait until darkness fell. Once it did, I climbed out and onto the roof. I’d only managed to catch one bird, but at least it was plump and well fed. It at least put a dent in my hunger, if not much of one. Exiting the house, I moved towards the block with my old home on, as though drawn against my will. The lights were on on the sixth floor. Looking at the panel, the A’Courts lived there. My pain became an open wound. I couldn’t not look. Free-climbing up the outside of the building, I looked in to see Dad watching TV, Mum curled up asleep on his shoulder. Hanging off the sill with one arm, I pressed my other hand up against the window, tears running down my face. I think I stayed there for about five minutes. I sniffed, then moved over to my room. It was a store room, like I had never existed. I made my way down to the ground. I knew what I was going to do was stupid, but I couldn’t not do it. I went up and rang on my parents’ buzzer.

“Kieran A’Court?” He sounded impatient, but oh so familiar. “Hello? Is anyone there?” He sounded like he was about to walk away.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Sorry, you’ve got the wrong number.”

The words hit me like a knife. “No, I haven’t. I’m your daughter. Keridwen.”

“I don’t have a daughter.” His voice gained a note of sympathy as he registered that I was sniffling. “Sorry, you must have me confused with someone else.”

“Your name is Kieran A’Court. Your wife’s is Lindsey.” I continued to reel off information about likes and dislikes, birthdays and family. I searched my memory for anything I could remember that could prove that I was his daughter. I heard a sleepy voice in the background.

Kieran replied “It’s a confused girl. She seems to think that we’re her parents.”

The sleepy voice replied saying something I couldn’t overhear.

“Well, she seems to know a lot about us somehow. Maybe it’s some kind of trick.”

My mother’s voice came closer. “Oh, look at you. Come on up.”

"What? She looks like some vagrant."

"You said it yourself. She's lost and confused. The least we can do is try and help her."

The door buzzed and I entered.

I walked up the stairs - I've gotten out of the habit of using lifts, and the thought of being confined in a small metal box makes me nervous - to the fifth floor. I must say it's much easier using the stairs. They awaited me anxiously at the door. Dad standing in front of Mum protectively. He raised his hand in a gesture. I looked at it puzzledly and copied him. Now it was his turn to look puzzled, an expression that quickly turned to exasperation.

"If you're going to take the piss..."

"What?" I really rather hoped I looked as puzzled as I felt.

"What do you mean what?"

Mum tugged at his arm. "Look at her. It's as though she doesn't know what you are doing."

"I really don't," I asserted honestly. "What am I supposed to do?"

Dad looked at me skeptically. "Are you really saying that you don't know the Rite of Hospitality?" At my expression of befuddlement, he seemed to realize that I didn't. He sighed and took me through it. It basically consisted of him offering his hospitality and me promising not to abuse it. As I did so, I heard this odd buzz all around me. It didn't feel precisely comfortable, but I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore it. Thankfully it mostly subsided within a few seconds.

"See," Mum told Dad, "She doesn't mean us any harm." He grumbled a bit, like he always did when he lost an argument with Mum but didn't want to admit it, and ushered me inside.

Once inside, Mum insisted on taking my coat. She did something of a double take at my axe and Tesla gun, so, despite my better instincts, I took them off and put them down by my pack.

"You're so thin," Mum exclaimed, "Would you like something to eat." My stomach took the opportunity to loudly complain that it would, indeed, like something to eat. She bustled off into the kitchen, and I soon heard the hum of the microwave.

Dad looked at me. "It looks like you been on the streets."

"I've been living pretty much on them for the last few years, ever since..." My throat swelled. I had problems going on.

"Ever since...?"

"Since..." Tears started trickling down my face. I couldn't help remember the last time I had seen my parents, the things wearing them, the singing, the twitching...

I was being held. I flinched and went rigid before noticing who it was. Mum was hugging me. For a moment, it was like when I was younger, but it felt different, like she was holding a stranger. Me. I started crying in earnest. I'd lost my parents and found them again, only they weren't my parents. They didn't know me. I thought I'd faced the worst that life could throw at me, but I was wrong. This was worse.

"Hush, you don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"They came, and my parents died. Most everyone died and I was all alone. I thought I'd lost you forever, but I found you again, but you don't know me."

"What? Who are they?"

"They're things that wear people like suits. They didn't come here, though. I'm not from here. Where I'm from the city is in ruins."

Mum looked over at Dad. "Do you think it's possible...?"

"No!" He was firm. "That's heresy."

"But it sounds like she could have come from another world."

"The Order doesn't tolerate such talk."

She looked down at me. "And, where you were from, we were your parents?" I nodded mutely. "If we'd ever had a daughter, I was going to call her Keridwen." She looked over at Dad. "You've got to admit this is possible."

"I'm not going to have this talk under my roof." But he sounded more worried than angry.

"Well, I'm not going to turn her out on the street." Mum sounded firm. "Come with me, Keridwen. We'll clean up the spare room and you can sleep there."

We did that, and she held me until she thought I was asleep, then quietly left. I waited a while, then went and fetched my gear to act as a pillow. It's been a habit for so long, I just can't rest without it. I relaxed and slept. When I awoke, I was on a pile of rubble just as though it was all a dream. There was no sign of Mum or Dad.

 

I wandered around in a daze for a few days after that. I couldn't believe that my parents had been so quickly ripped away from me again. The slips, dreams and visions continued, though I didn't return to the world I had left my kind of parents in. All the other slips seemed to be places in ruins, either more or less than where I hailed from. Once there was a rippling feeling, and a woman appeared in front of me, dressed in gaudy, inpractical clothing. She immediately fell over, and had problems getting up.

"Where am I? What have you done to me?"

I wasn't in the mood for other people. I waved my axe at her. "Get out of here." She looked up at me, eyes widening in fear. She started scrambling away from me, across a pile of rubble. There was another rippling and she disappeared again.

 

I got the sense things were getting worse. It felt like the worlds were slowly cracking, like thin ice when weight placed on it. I started hearing slow cracks, as though these fractures were slowly widening. In the visions and dreams, things were getting worse for the others too, though not so directly. The assassin was getting trapped in a web of deceit and decay. The princess' soft captivity became more evident. The woman with a cobweb tattoo hid herself from me as well as all others, but I felt her occasional flashes of desperation.

 

A ripple accompanied by vertigo, and I was in a crowd again. Though I didn't know it was the same world, though I knew that meeting them again would just lead to more heartache, I couldn't help myself. This world felt more stable than any of the others I had been in recently, anyway. I found myself drifting towards that quarter of town again. Skulking around through the backalleys, it was quite some time before I encountered my first wanted poster. Well, my first wanted poster that had a very badly drawn picture of me on it. The main reason I realised it was me, to be honest, was that it had my name at the bottom. I decided that it was just as well I was planning to stick to back alleys, when I saw Mum. Lindsey. I think I must have moved, reached towards her instinctively, because she glanced down the side alley towards me and met my gaze.

"Keridwen!" She rushed towards me, arms open.

"Mum!" I hugged her back.

"That still sounds weird."

"Sorry."

"Not bad, just weird. Keri, I've been looking for you." I don't know how she knew Mum's pet name for me. Telepathy, I guess. "The Order are looking for you." I must have looked quizzical. "They're with the church. Powerful, politically. Things are a mess here. There's all these rumours of strange things. Different worlds." She sighs. "I always used to think alternate worlds sounded so romantic when I was younger. But church doctrine states that there's only one world, that all others are but lies and deception. So the Order have declared ecclesiastic law, and people have been disappearing. Kieran insisted that we had to report you. Sorry," she apologises guiltily. "But you were gone, and I hoped safe."

"That's alright. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

"Anyway, we've decided to leave the city. Kieran's got some friends who can get us passes to somewhere less under the Order's control. That's why I wanted to find you. So you could come with us if you wanted."

I couldn't help smiling. "I'd love to."

She reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like a mobile phone with some sigils on it. Like so much in this world, it buzzed gently. She handed it to me. "Here's a phone just in case you need to contact us. It has our number in it. I don't know if it will work in other worlds, but at least we can get in contact again if we get separated."

I looked at the phone dubiously. I was fairly sure that mobile phones didn't work in my world any more. Still, it was another link to my parents. I clutched it tightly. "Thanks."

Lindsey pulled out another phone. "Hey, Kieran. I've found her." She listened and laughed. "Okay, I'll tell her. See you later, sweetie." She popped the phone away again. "Kieran's working on getting the travel papers so we can leave Neffern." She eyed me again, appraisingly. "Let's have dinner together. I know a good restaurant hereabouts."

I looked down at myself. Both I and my clothes were encrusted with dirt. It had been approximately two years since I'd had a proper bath or shower. "Uh, do you know anywhere I could get cleaned up first?"

She looked thoughtful. "There's a private gym near here I'm a member of. I take you there so you can have a nice *long* shower whilst I go out and get you some new clothes."

She led me through crowded streets to the gym. I felt nervous, partially because I was worried about someone recognising me from the poster but mostly because I didn’t like being around so many people. The gym was almost hard to spot from the street. The kind that said ‘If you’re good enough to enter this gym, then you know about us already.’ Lindsey signed me in as her niece, then led me cautiously through the changing rooms, successfully managing to avoid the attendant.

Lindsey took me to the shower. “I won’t be long. I’ll try and get some clothes in a couple of sizes, and you can pick which you like the best.” She hesitantly kissed me goodbye on the hair, then hurried off.

I stripped off, and luxuriated in the hot shower. It seemed that Kieran and Lindsey had done better in this world, than in mine. As I rinsed off the ground in dirt, I felt the dizziness start up again.

“No,” I muttered to myself. “I don’t want to leave. Not yet.” I held my breath, and stayed perfectly still, hoping that if I didn’t move at all, then I wouldn’t slip back. The feeling slowly subsided, and I remained in the shower. I released my breath. I had done it.

About half an hour later, Lindsey tapped on the shower door. She had managed to buy a backpack, a pile of clothes, a first aid kit, trail food and camping equipment. I was quite happy with the gear I already had, but appreciated the thought. Some of the clothes were hard wearing, outdoorsy things like I generally wore anyway, but there were also some nice dresses. She handed one to me, a long blue dress that looked entirely impractical.

“I thought you could wear this for dinner.”

I held it gingerly, as though it might break. “Okay.” I quickly changed into it.

Lindsey took the opportunity to comb my hair and otherwise make me look presentable. I looked at her. She looked a little embarrassed, but soldiered on. “I always wanted to do this kind of thing for a daughter. There,” she continued, stepping away, “you’ve cleaned up nicely.”

As we left, we failed to elude the attendant. I’m guessing she was informed by some of the other customers who wondered what an urchin was doing in their highly selective changing rooms. She was a thin, red headed woman with a smile on her face.

“Good evening, Mrs A’Court. And who is this?” She looked down at me with a raised eyebrow.

“This is my niece. She’s visiting. I thought I’d take her to the gym. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

“No, of course not.” She studied me, then hurried off.

Lindsey decided it was time to leave, and took me to her restaurant. I had forgotten was good heated food tasted like, and I attacked the meal with a ravenous glee. Luckily, there were seconds. And thirds. And fourths. Over fifths (for me – Lindsey had stopped some time ago, looking at me with a kind of endearing bemusement) we started to actually talk.

Apparently, she’d never gotten pregnant at university, never had to drop out. She’d still married Kieran, of course, but they’d never managed to have kids. She gave me wistful looks over desert before we headed off home.

“I’m sorry, you won’t be able to come back with me. Kieran thinks that the Order are keeping our place under surveillance just in case you come back.” We were halfway to a local hotel when her phone rang. As she answered it, she began to look worried.

“That was Kieran. The Order have been by and interviewed Kieran. He told them that you were our niece, but they still want to talk to you. I don’t know. If they get hold of you, they’ll make you disappear.” She gazed at me.

“What about you? Won’t you be in trouble if I disappear?”

She laughed a little nervously. “No, Kieran’s important. They won’t make him disappear.”

I looked up at her. She was clearly nervous. I couldn’t leave them like this. “I’ll come back, and talk to them. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

On the way back, she coached me about her niece, who lived out of town, and hence couldn’t easily be contacted by the Order. Luckily, the details seemed fairly similar to what I remembered of my cousin.

We got home. Kieran met us, and we quickly told him that I was willing to answer the Order’s questions. He phoned them up, and a knock at the door (they must have gone straight past the door at the entrance) came within a few minutes.

Kieran answered the door. Standing in the hallway was a severe looking woman in robes flanked by two monks. After completing a variant of the rite of hospitality I remembered – a variant in which the woman was clearly in the superior position – the woman turned to me and smiled. The smile did not reach her eyes.

“Good evening, I am Mother Ophelia. I’m pleased to meet you…?”

“Maria, Mother.” I bowed my head, nervously.

“Don’t worry, child,” she chuckled drily. “I’m just hear to ask a few questions. Clear up a few details.”

The monks either side of her started up a chant, a barely audible sound that somehow still buzzed harshly against my senses. Mother Ophelia began her interrogation.

I answered her questions as best I could, hoping that any hesitation would be put down to nervousness. I started feeling dizzy again, and like the world rippling around me. I clung on, hoping that I could remain here. The feeling started to fade somewhat, and I breathed easier. Finally the questions were over. I was fairly sure that I had answered the questions correctly. Certainly Mum and Dad didn’t seem to be having fits.

“Thank you, child. That will be all.” Mother Ophelia nodded to my parents and left the apartment, still trailed by the monks.

*She doesn’t believe you. She’s about to take action,* came a whisper. It sounded like the princess. I looked around but couldn’t see anyone. Nevertheless, a feeling of impending danger overwhelmed me. I had to get out. I grabbed the wrists of my parents. I had to take them with me.

I had just gotten to the kitchen door which led out onto the fire escape when it slammed open, and two men stood there, brandishing rods. They looked a little startled to see us barrelling towards them. This gave me just enough time to drop my parents' hands and close the distance before they leveled the rods at me.

A voice whispered in my ear *This is how you kill them...* I tried to ignore it, but to my horror my hands started to move in the way the voice suggested. Pulling my arms back, I managed to confuse myself long enough that I charged into them. One went straight over the railings, whilst the other one bounced against them, winded. Somehow, I managed to grab the falling one before he managed to get too far, pulled him back up onto the fire escape and bounced him off a wall for good measure.

My parents looked at me with some degree of shock. "Quick!" I hissed. "We've got to keep on moving."

The world started vibrating like a bell as we descended Worse, a helicopter moved into position above us, flooding us in light. Grasping inspiration, and little else, I focussed the ringing and focussed it in the direction of the helicopter. Maybe it would leave alone for a while then. There was a cracking sound, and a jagged hole appeared where the helicopter had been. I hoped that whereever they had gone, they were safe. I unholstered my Tesla gun. We had other problems.

Down in the alleyway a group of monks chanted in a circle. I could feel them calming down the ringing. Mother Ophelia was there, but not chanting. She looked over in our direction. I shot her with the Tesla gun. It should stun, not kill. It didn't even get that far. A bluish shield surrounded her, which it effortlessly pierced, only to splash harmlessly against a second shield beneath. She looked shocked as she raised a hand seemingly in reflex, and then commanded the armed people around her to attack.

I dived behind cover, dragging my parents with me. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough cover around for Kieran, who took a burning bolt to the leg. He screamed and collapsed. I chucked a bin at the group, who scattered and lifted my father up easily up onto my shoulders.

"Run!" I yelled at my mother, and took my own advice, going for the nearest corner. After that, I just ran to the nearest sewer entrance and lifted the lid. Mum went down first. I had to lower Dad as gently as I could, then followed, replacing the lid. I shivered. I didn't like sewers. Some of them lived down there, the nastier, more mutated kind. And escape options were far more limited Yet sometimes it was better than travelling topside, and I knew several of the underways.

Travelling blind always made me antsy, but I didn't have many options. So it was something of a surprise when I could suddenly see, Mum was using her mobile as a light. I flashed her a surprised smile in the gloom, and we continued, running flat out for a mile or more. Mum was certainly in shape. We exited the sewer somewhere else. With a bit of scouting, I located an empty building and broke in.

*Repeat what I say...* It was the princess again. I listened, and she had what seemed like good advice, so I followed it.

Kieran was holding his leg, still in shock. "Dad?"

"Yes, Keridwen." He didn't seem to have problems with me calling him that any more. At least not for the moment.

"Mum said that you could cause the Order problems. This would seem a good time to start. Tell any friends you have that the Order have decided to start cleaning up. Ask to see if any of them can get you a doctor."

He looked up at me with a degree of surprise. "Uh, okay." He got out his mobile, and started ringing up some friends. He started talking. I settled down. This could take some time.

Mum squatted down next to me. "How did you manage to do that? Throwing people around, lifting Kieran up. That's not normal."

I looked up at her. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I've had to survive on my own." Mum didn't look convinced I shrugged. "Sorry."

"That's alright, dear." She came over and hugged me, tentatively at first, then leaned into it. I hugged her back. "You can stay here now."

Kieran kept on talking for a while. A doctor came and tended him, then told him to sleep. Before he did so, he smiled at me, and said that everything was going to be fine. After a while, Lindsey settled down to sleep. I didn't dare. I worried that if I lost consciousness, I'd wake up somewhere else. So, I stayed up to watch the dawn spread its light across the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up. Something wasn't right. The bed was too hard, I didn't have a cover and these really didn't feel like my pyjamas. (Lindsey had been very firm on the matter of me wearing my normal clothes to bed.) However, the thing that actually woke me up was the smell. A kind of sharp antiseptic smell. My eyes flicked open, and as I went into motion, I noticed that I was, indeed, not in the bedroom I had gone to sleep in after a long day's retail therapy. (As Lindsey insisted on calling it - personally, I had spent enough time sifting through shops for it to seem like a chore rather than a joy. Still, it made her happy, so I put up with in good grace.)

The first thing that I identified was that there was nothing moving, no obvious threat. The second was that there was only one exit from the room - a door. I was in an unfamiliar place, with no idea how I'd got there. I have to say that I panicked. The door didn't open, even to enough pressure that I usually broke the handle, nor to my attempts to open it by brute force. It was definitely more sturdy than the doors I was used to. I took a moment to assess the room, and see if I could find any other, less obvious, exits, or any way to open this door.

I had woken up in something like an doctor's examination couch. There were four such couches in the room (along with four chairs). One was occupied by a boy who looked unconscious. He looked around the same age I was, brown hair in a buzz cut. He had an odd tattoo on his cheek - three dots in a triangle surrounding a spiral, all in blue ink. He was wearing a blue tunic, loose blue trousers and soft blue slippers. A definite blue theme. The same clothes that I was wearing looking down at myself. Which is when I noticed similar tattoos to the boy's on the backs of my hands.

Taking up one wall of the room was a huge mirror. Looking at myself, I could see that my hair was cut bob style (Lindsey was going to be annoyed - she liked combing my long hair) and I also had a tattoo on one cheek (I just winced thinking Lindsey's reaction). This was, of course, when the boy opened his eyes.

My old, bad, instincts took over. I was trapped in a room with a strange person. I couldn't get out. I was trapped. I grabbed a chair and brandished it between us. "Please don't hurt me." It wasn't quite as strong as I'd like, having something of a whimper about it.

"Wasn't planning on it," he drawled and got to his feet. "I guess you've been screwed over too."

"What do you know about this?"

He shrugged. "I'm guessing nothing more than you. I was fighting some ghosts, and woke up here."

"I went to sleep in my bedroom and just woke up here." I paused. This place felt as solid as a rock, even compared to Lindsey and Kieran's world. "I'm on a different world. I've got to get back." Muttered to myself "They'll be worrying about me."

"I'm Broadway."

"Keri."

Broadway looked at himself in the mirror, and seemed a little distressed at what he saw, rubbing his chin and his hair, and then headed over to the door. I backed away, and decided to see if there was anything behind the mirror by the simple expedient of hitting it with the chair. The chair bounced off with a dull thunk, not even leaving a mark. Typical. I gave the room a quick search, but apart from a water cooler, which I definitely didn't trust and a first aid box, which I didn't see any need for, I didn't find anything. Especially anything resembling a way out.

A voice came floating over from across the room. "I guess we're just going to have to wait for them to let us out." Broadway seemed to be respecting my need for distance. Well, it was either that he was respecting or my chair.

The assassin whispered *Let me have a look at that door.* "Um, would you mind letting me have another look at that?"

"Sure." He shuffled aside a step and gestured next to him.

"And moving away?"

"Oh, yes." He moved away.

The assassin guided my movements as I looked around the edges of door and at the handle. She didn't say anything more, so I assumed that she hadn't found anything. I looked at the door, racking my brains. I'd never had this much trouble with a door before. Granted, the brute force and ignorance approach usually paid dividends for my in a pinch, but anyway I was planning on spending any length of time usually benefited from a lighter touch. The hinges were on this side. Well, I guess it was worth a shot. I grabbed the scissors from the first aid kit, and tried to nudge the pins out. To my total lack of surprise (at this point) they failed to budge. I sighed and sat down to wait, chair beside me.

As if that is what the door had been waiting for, it clicked. Typical.

I tried the door again. This time it opened. Behind it was a corridor leading to another door. There were small, narrow windows set in one wall. Grabbing another chair to stand on, I swung my chair at one of them. It bounced. I figured as much, but thought it was worth trying. As I wandered down the corridor, I occasionally hit the walls with the chair, just in case I found anything. I was briefly excited to find a hidden box, but it proved to only contain some light switches. Naturally, I couldn't get access to anything behind the switches.

The door was, again, wood effect and this time slightly ajar. I nudged it open with the chair. There was a flash of movement from the room beyond. I raised the chair, but it didn't seem to be threatening it. The room was larger than the one we had left. There were no obvious exits. To one side, there was a podium, with chairs in audience around it. The movement had been from one of them. As I looked, a boy's head poked cautiously above the back of the chair. He had short blond hair cut in the same buzz cut as Broadway, with at the least top of the same tattoo peeking over the top of the chair. His eyes fastened nervously on me. I was trapped, imprisoned, with two strange people. It was making my flesh crawl.

*Maybe you should speak with them, find out what you can.* The princess was ever helpful. I ignored her.

Behind me Broadway gently engaged the boy, whose name turned out to be James. James apparently was at least somewhat concerned about the scary chair lady. Well, I suppose it was better than him trying to hurt me. Not that he looked that dangerous, I guess. I turned my mind to the business of trying to find a way out of this room, and preferably this place. I didn't like being here. I really didn't like being here on someone else's terms.

Using my faithful chair (which had somehow not broken with all the abuse I had been putting it through - they should make body armour out of this stuff) to test the walls, I managed to find what appeared to be a concealed door on one wall. Under the assassin's directions, we again tried to search for a way to open it, to no avail.

Broadway and James were apparently getting on well. James apparently had been expecting this - his father had enrolled him in a new school, he'd been collected by some people, gone to sleep and woken up in the other room about an hour ago. Apparently we hadn't been there then (which obviously meant that there was another way into that room). He also seemed quite distressed about me hammering the walls with a chair.

Having exhausted the non violent ways of opening the door, I hefted the chair with at least the intent of inflicting major structural damage on it.

"I'd prefer if you didn't wreck the place. At least until I've managed to finish the orientation briefing," a somewhat sardonic female voice said. I spun around in the direction it came from, chair instinctively held up high to fend the speaker off.

She was a tall, skinny woman, maybe around twenty, dressed in black with silver trimming and big stompy boots. Good for protecting your feet, not so good for scrambling around the city. She had the tattoo of an open eye on her cheek.

"Who are you?" Broadway asked.

"My name is Maria Korsikova. I'm supposed be giving you the basic facts about the place, and get you settled down." She eyed me. "Preferably with a minimum of property damage. Please, have a seat."

James was already sat down, picture perfect - back straight, hands in lap. Broadway sat down at her invitation. I remained standing, just in case an avenue of escape opened up. Maria rolled her eyes and sighed at my intransigence, before continuing.

"Apparently, they usually have a briefing here, with a talk and a slide show. I really can't be bothered. The short version is that you are here because you have special abilities and because you were destroying the world you were on. Here they'll teach you to control your abilities. Um... you won't be alone in your class - there are some other kids here already, some a bit older, some a bit younger. Well, none as young as you." She nodded at James. James looked a little downcast. She softened a little. "Actually, there is someone around your age, a girl."

James screwed up his face. "But girls have cooties." He then looked in my direction, went a little red, and tried to hide himself in his seat. Maria continued, "Um, anyway any question?"

*She's almost as nervous as you are. You might be able to win over as an ally.* The princess whispered.

"Why are you imprisoning me? Why won't you let me go?" I asked Maria. I didn't want to be here. I had been managing my talents. I hadn't world slipped for a few months now, ever since I determined that I wasn't going to. Maria glowered at me.

*Or maybe not,* the princess sighed.

"I'm *not* imprisoning you. You're here for you own good. And that of everyone around you."

"How do you know this?" Broadway interjected. "Have you seen this for yourself, or is it just something you've been told?"

"I've seen what happens myself. Yes?" she asked James, who was holding up his hand.

"I don't think my world was falling apart. I did once accidentally end up in another world, though. My parents didn't know me." He looked mournful. I could empathise. But at least he had parents, and he wasn't just kidnapped here without so much as a 'by your leave'. "They had a daughter instead."

"And she had cooties?" I couldn't help adding. He shifted in his chair away from me as though he thought I might hit him. Was I really such a scary person?

"You'll be interviewed for the next few days" Maria had apparently remembered more of her talk, I somewhat uncharitably thought "And then put into a shared room with someone else from your class." As if I wasn't tense enough, this made me feel ill. Imprisoned here, at the mercy of strange people, and forced to sleep, to be helpless, whilst there was someone else around? Maria was rambling on about schedules and stuff whilst I just concentrated on trying to keep myself together. I'd found my parents again, was putting my life back together and was trying to make a new start, when these *arseholes* grabbed me and shoved me in here. Lindsey and Kieran were going to be *frantic.* And I was going to be trapped here, forced into close proximity with these *people*. I didn't know how I was going to cope.

"And then you'll be put into basic classes until you're the level for your age."

The words "I imagine you had problems with that." somehow slipped from my mouth. Maria looked like she had been slapped, then disappeared and reappeared next to me, looming over me.

*Kill* the assassin said, starting to bring the chair up in an arc that would intersect with Maria's neck. With an effort, I wrested back control of my arms, and the chair went clattering to the floor.

I just heard another despairing sigh from the princess. Apparently she did not approve of the snark. I wasn't particularly proud of it, either. I hadn't exactly kept up with my education since the end of the world, although Lindsey had been employing tutors in the last few months to try and get me up to scratch. I'm guessing it was a sore point for Maria too.

"Can the attitude, girl. I can take you any time I want to." She smirked, regaining her composure. "But I can wait for that." She remained looming over me for a few seconds, then walked away.

Broadway obviously thought this was a good time to try and distract us. "What about these tattoos?"

She turned to look at him, dismissing me. "They're used to help control your abilities. They also denote rank."

"Can they also be used to track us?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. But it's what I'd do if I was them."

"So, are we just imprisoned here for the rest of our lives?" I asked her.

"No, you just have to remain until you can control your powers - until you graduate. I've been here nine years, and I've almost completed the course. You can then leave if you want to."

"Have you ever known anyone who left?" Broadway apparently shared my scepticism.

"Yup, a few,"

"Have you ever seen anyone who's has graduated to come back again?"

"Again, one or two." She seemed confident, but I was less so. Broadway too, from his expressions.

"Any more questions?" She looked around at us. With no response forthcoming, she made her way to the door. "Follow me, I'll take you to your debriefers."

She led us through a maze of corridors. I tried to keep a track of where we were going, but I was more interested in any sign of an exit to the seemingly endless building. It wasn't as though I was planning to return to the reception area anyway. Nothing sprang out at me, and with Maria's ability to move quicker than the eye could see, it didn't seem worth making a random run for it.

She dropped off James first, then me. She waited around until I had entered and shut the door. I assume she took Broadway off to his meeting after that. Inside was a middle aged woman who greeted me with:

"Good day. Please, take a seat." They obviously ran off a script.

"Thanks, but I already have one."

"So, I see. Please, sit down."

Figuring that it had been enough time that (hopefully) Maria was out of the area, I tried the door. It didn't open. Typical. The woman didn't comment, but just waited. I sighed, and sat down.

What followed was a long and repetitive series of questions about my history, what my world was like, any supernatural experiences, any world changes. Etcetera and so forth, again and again and again. She seemed to be particularly interested in Broadway, and how I knew him. I told her (truthfully) that I didn't, but she didn't seem to believe me. At the princess' urging, I didn't bother concealing much, since they could find that out from just asking questions around Kieran and Lindsey's home. The only thing I hid was my link to the princess, the assassin and the girl with cobweb tattoo, whom I called the sorceress. Hours later, Maria came and took me to a room with one bed, some water, some food and my gear, minus clothes piled up in a heap. Maria sardonically waved me good night and left me there. I ate and drank, and then checked my possessions. More or less everything seemed to be there, intact, apart from all the batteries for my Tesla gun. After that, I lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, unable to sleep, wondering if someone was going to come in whilst I slept. I didn't want to be helpless. The place's walls closed in on me like a prison. I got up and paced a while. I wasn't used to being trapped in just one place, where I couldn't escape if need be. Hours later, in what I assume was the morning, Maria arrived. She took a look at me.

"Couldn't sleep."

"No." I felt even less like talking than usual. I grabbed my gear as I left the room.

"Hmm." She left it at that, and escorted me back to the room with the middle aged lady. Who proceeded to ask me the same kind of questions for yet more hours. I was feeling a little tired by this point, but way too nervous to even think about going to sleep. Eventually Maria came to take me back to room with the bed, with another meal plus water. I couldn't sleep that night, either. The walls were closing in. Hidden eyes were watching me. Hours passed. A knock came at the door. Maria entered.

“You're looking rough. Couldn't sleep last night either.” I just shook my head at her, mutely. She sighed. “Come with me. I'll show you something.”

She took me through some passages we hadn't been in before. Rather than the high-tech concrete style that had characterised the place I'd been held, there were a mix of styles. Concrete gave way to wood panelling which gave way to stone work which gave way to white clinical rooms which gave way to cavernous arched corridors whose heights disappeared upwards into the gloom. Finally, I was led to a simple recessed door, that was almost hidden behind a pillar. Maria opened it up to reveal the outside, woodland wonderland, complete with babbling brook and mysterious forest in the background.

“Having some time to yourself might help you relax,” she said, gesturing me to go out. “When you're ready to come back in, press this panel here.” She indicated a multicoloured panel next to the door. “See you soon.” I'm not sure how well I was tracking at this point, because by the time I even thought to thank her, she gone, leaving me behind, alone, in the woods.

*She said they might be able to track you through the tattoos.* the assassin reasoned. *You should remove them.*

How? I thought back at her.

*With your knife.*

I got it out to look at it. It was a large hunting knife. The thought of it slicing through my flesh made me feel a little ill.

*Here, I'll do it for you. Just let me take control, and retreat. Don't worry, we heal quickly.*

I tried to retreat, but I couldn't get far enough away, as the assassin calmly took the knife, and sliced the skin of my hands off, then used a mirror from my backpack to do the same to my cheek. Disconnected, I still felt the knife slide smoothly beneath my skin, and wanted to throw up. I felt her draw upon my knowledge of survival, of skinning animals, to do the same to me, and for the first time, realised that this wasn't just a one way street. I could help them as much they could help me. She dropped the discarded skin in the stream, to be carried away. The assassin then bandaged my hands and face before retreating, letting me feel the full pain. I promptly threw up in the stream, all the food I had eaten in the last day being carried along, chasing the scarlet ribbon ahead of it. I guess I just sat there in shock for a minute or two.

*Go, now. You don't know how long you have.*

I got to my feet. I didn't need to be told twice. I needed to move, to keep moving, until I had lost anyone following me. I turned away from the forest. That wasn't my home, wasn't where I had learned to survive. And that's the first place they would look. Behind me, where I had come from, was a vast array of rooftops, towers and domes. That was an environment I knew. That was a place I could be safe.

The rooftops proved to be as varied as the corridors. An endless melange of different materials and architectural styles, most of which I was completely unfamiliar with and some of which I would say even without formal training were actually impossible. The complex stretched on for as far as I could see, and I took to it with ease.

After a few hours of hard evasive travel, I found some cover and left some traps for the local bird analogues. I’d never had much problem eating anything, and I really rather hoped that that would continue here. I then hid myself, and slept, trying to set myself to wake up a few hours later.

When I awoke, the sun was much higher in the sky. I’d managed to catch an animal in my trap, so I gutted and skinned it then consumed it on the hoof.. I didn’t know how easily they could find people up on the roof, but I had no intention of finding out. I kept low and away from edges to try and avoid being seen. A few hours later, I rested again for a while.

When I woke up, I heard someone moving around nearby. Someone wearing serious amount of iron. Sneaking around, I saw a boy in the process of sitting down on the roof nearby. The first thing that struck me about him was one side of his chest, that shoulder and arm as well as the opposing leg were all constructed of a light blue metal with red glowing runes etched upon it. Aside from the metal, his skin was pale and his hair grey. I couldn’t really see what his face was like from where I was. He got out a book, and started to read. I didn’t believe in coincidences, so I silently snuck out of the back of my hidey hole. I never rest in a place with just one entrance. As I left, I heard some more feet approaching. Luckily it was the other side of my hidey hole.

“Have you managed to find her yet?” The speaker was a boy, probably around my age. He also spoke really fast.

“No.” I guessed this speaker was the boy I had seen. His speech was slow and ponderous, even without the comparison, like a great machine which he resembled.

“You’re not even looking, are you?” Accusingly.

“No.”

“I can’t believe you! There’s the new girl in our class somewhere up here, and we have a chance to find out what’s she’s like. But you’re more interested in just reading a book.”

“Yes.”

Their bickering continued on as I left them behind. I didn’t know how they’d gotten so close – it left my stomach in knots. The only thing I could do know is make my escape.

Night came and went.. When I woke up in the morning, it was to the panicked sensation that someone was there. I opened my eyes to see Maria.

“Morning,” she said to me as I scrambled to my feet. I tried to hide my panic that she had found me so easily. That any safety I had had was purely a delusion. She looked my face, then down to my hands. “What happened?”

“You said that they might be able to track me through the tattoos,” I replied, trying to ignore the nausea that rose as I remembered the knife slicing my flesh “So I removed them.”

She looked shocked. “You didn’t have to… I never meant you to do *that*,” she spluttered. “You need to get those seen to.”

“I heal quickly. I’ve survived worse.” I started moving away.

She called after me. “I just came to check that you were fine. That you didn’t need anything.”

“I’m fine,” I called over my shoulder as I jumped over a gap in the roofing, caught hold of a pipe and swung to a gantry. I felt better once I had gotten away, and was free once more.

The next few days passed like that. Every so often, Maria would turn up, either in my general area if I was on the move, or directly to me if I was at rest. She claimed it was just to make sure that I was alright, but I steadily grew more and more frantic. Neither I nor the assassin could see any cameras tracking us, nor feel a buzz from magic. I racked my brains for an idea. Finally, I vaguely remembered something from a lesson of one of the private tutors. Apparently all living creatures had something called a magical signature, that’s a part of me and all my body. I didn’t know if it would work, but I cut a small clump of my (already fairly shorn) hair, and started releasing bits of it at regular intervals. Hopefully, the extra signatures might confuse their sensors. It seemed to work, because I didn’t see Maria (or anyone else) again.

It was almost strange, being alone again. I’d gotten so used to Kieran and Lindsey, maybe even a few other people, as long as they weren’t talking to me too much. Of course, even up here, I wasn’t truly alone. I saw the princess, the assassin and even the sorceress (the girl with the cobweb tattoo on her cheek) in reflections and in my dreams. They didn’t speak to me much, now that I was in my element. I guess that they didn’t see anything that interested them. The princess and the assassin were getting on with their lives, such as they were. The princess had been married to a man she despised, who I think she suspected of killing her mother, as a trophy, as a gift. The assassin had been lost after a mission, probably presumed dead. She was surviving in the grim depths of her endless city, trying to work her way up. I’m fairly certain that she was using my skills, though I never talked to her the way she talked to me on occasion. I felt free, almost relaxed, and with that calm came thought. I couldn’t get back home. I didn’t know how.. I needed information, and I wasn’t going to get it out here.. So I reluctantly picked my way back to the edge of the complex, travelling miles across rooftops, to the door I’d exited the inside by.. I pressed the panel, and waited.

After a while, the door hissed open. A girl a couple of years younger than me stepped out into the light. She was the kind of person that, where I lived before, I would have hardly noticed. Tanned skin, long, mousy hair tied back in a ponytail, unremarkable features. Practical looking.

“Hello. I have been sent to help you around the facility. I am Sarah. I am in your class.”

I wasn’t quite sure of what to make of her formal little speech. “Hi, I’m Keri.”

“Do you want to stay out here for a bit longer, or do you want me to show you around?”

“Um, I think I’ve had enough of out here for now.” I braced myself. “Let’s enter the dungeon.”

She opened the door and stepped inside. I followed gingerly. Nothing happened.

"To find your way around, find one of these panels," she indicated a pearlescent square on the wall. "Touch it gently, and ask for your destination. Lights will then guide you there." She smiled a little. "Of course, most of us prefer to learn the corridors as quickly as we can. Doubtless you'll be the same way."

She took me on a quick tour of some of the highlights of our part of the facility.

"There are parts that we're not supposed to go. You'll either be told not to go there, or just find the way blocked. Apparently when we join the general classes after basic training, we'll have more access." She showed me some of the forbidden areas. Like she said, the doors simply wouldn't open for us.

The canteen was small, and empty. There was a counter with a clear shield with a slot in it that we could get food from.

"Meals are at specific times. If you don't attend enough of them, Maria or our tutor will talk with you."

I sniffed. "I'm perfectly capable of finding food myself."

"I've heard the others complain that the food here isn't that great, so, if you're a good cook, that might not be such a bad idea."

Our classroom was next. A medium sized room, with desks and a blackboard.

"They're fairly strict about prompt attendance and homework. Classes will start for you next week. You've got some books and homework waiting for you. You'll need to start on that quickly - you spent most of that time outside. If you need help, ask for directions to Mr Knowles."

The library was next. It was a massive room, stretching upwards and outwards. I saw a massive humanoid spider scuttling out from between some of the stacks. I was running before I even consciously registered anything beyond a threatening blur.

"Wait, that was just a librarian!" came a receding voice behind me. 

I stopped, and turned. "You mean, they're supposed to be in there?"

Sarah padded up a few seconds later. "Yes. They look after the books. If you want to find something out about a subject, or just a particualr book, they can direct you."

I somehow doubted that I'd be spending much time in the library. Those things made my skin crawl. Other people were bad enough...

Finally, she took me to my room. It was a smallish bedroom with two beds, a couple of chests of drawers and a pair of wardrobes.

"This is your room. You'll be sharing it with me."

*Our* room apparently. The thought of having to sleep near a stranger made me start to feel antsy again. Sarah must have recognised this.

"Do you want to go outside for a bit?"

"Yes."

She led me outside, to some seats near the stream and sat down.

"I take it you're not a fan of the Facility?"

I didn't see any reason to deceive her. "They kidnapped me from my family, without asking me or anything. Now they've stuck me here, and I don't see a way home."

She looked down, and rubbed her wrists. I noticed for the first time that the skin around them was a little paler than that surrounding it. "I... was a slave." She looked back up, as if to try and gauge my reaction. I guess I was a little shocked. I didn't think that happened now. "The Facility bought me at the block. So I guess I still am." There was more than a hint of bitterness.

"So, we're both in the same boat, I guess." 

She nodded, and took a breath. "I've heard rumours. One of the previous students made paths out of here. To other worlds. I haven't managed to find any of them yet, though."

"I'll look for them too."

"Would you take me if you found them?"

I paused a second. This was too much, too fast. Would I want to take someone else with me? How easily could I escape with her? I didn't know. My instincts told me to go it alone, but she just had told me about them. "I... don't know. I'd have to see. What about you? Would you take me along?"

She paused a second. "I'd have to see, too." We shared an awkward smile.

Sarah told me that we had a lot of freedom, in many ways. They didn't care what we did, as long as we attended lessons and some meals. So I could spend the nights outside if I wished. I took her up on the offer. I went back to our room to collect my books, so I could start studying, and then hied off to the roof. I found a fairly sheltered spot, where I could start a fire, and read to the warmth of the fire glow, before dousing it, moving a little away, and going to sleep.

I awoke halfway through the night to the sound of beating wings. In the moonlight, I saw what for all the world resembled a dragon off the front of storybooks, with a man in armour on his back. They didn't pay any attention to me, if they even noticed me. I waited until they were out of sight and went back to sleep.

Over the next few days, I was introduced to the other kids in the class. Clarence (or Clank as Mack continually referred to him) was the cyborg I had seen on the roof. He soon confirmed my initial impression of being a boy of few words, though surprisingly deep. Mack, who was always with him, and the voice I had heard on the roof, was a couple of years younger than me, was short, scruffy and looked kind of Japanese. He was always talking quickly, very animatedly. Fascinated by the facility, always happy to learn more. Jenny Appleseed was the last member of our class. Small, slender and with skin like that of a silver birch. She was always happy and smiling, and generally seemed as deep as a puddle. She'd apparently been at the facility since she was very young, but hadn't joined the main classes yet. Broadway and James were the final members of our class.

Broadway approached me before classes started, and made it known that he was still interested in getting out of here. Upon the princess' urging, I shared with him the rumours about the paths, and he said that he'd keep an eye out for them. He also asked me to try and find technical supplies whilst I was out on my wanderings. I agreed, if he'd fashion some new batteries for my Tesla gun. He asked to look at it, and, after a little time, agreed to do his best.

I spent the time I wasn't studying, exploring. Inside the facility, as well as out. I soon found an unlocked supply closet, and, in return, Broadway made me some batteries. I don't know what he did with the rest of the gear. I tested out the gun (on some widelife in the forest), and it proved to work pleasingly.

Classes rolled around quicker than I would have liked. Mr Knowles, our tutor, was... interesting. He was tall, broad and always (as far as I could tell) wore tweed with leather patches. Straggly white hair and a general air of ruppledness completed the english teacher stereotype. Detracting from that was his somewhat disturbing habit of popping talons out of his fingertips to rake through the stone wall when he wanted quiet. I wasn't entirely sure how the wall repaired between lessons, but guessed magic. The first time he did this, I'm rather proud of myself that I didn't actually bolt from the room on pure instinct. I only made it a few steps before realising I wasn't actually in imminent danger. I turned around to see his wolf-like fastened on me.

"Does Miss Keri have anything she'd like to share with the class?"

"Uh, no, sir."

"Then I'm sure you can find your seat and answer the following question..."

Still the time after school was my own, as long I got the homework done. I continued to explore the Facility as far as I could. I swiftly realised that this place was almost as big as Neffern, and I didn't know how far it stretched beneath the surface. There was no way that this was just a school, unless they had literally millions of pupils. This was further reinforced when I heard the sound of gunfire and decided to investigate.

The sound led me to a courtyard where there were lots of men practising weapon use of various kinds. There were men wrestling, men fighting with swords and axes, as well as men practising on a firing range. Oh, the merry chatter of automatic weaponry. I wasn't really sure what a school needed a military unit for, either. On the basis that our putative escape might only go better with decent weaponry, I started sneaking towards the weapon rack. There was a buzz of magic, a whoof of displaced air and tall, scarecrow like figure in mail and leather appeared next to me. The impression of being a scarecrow really wasn't helped by his strawlike hair sticking up at all angles/ I wasn't completely sure, but I thought that he might have been the man riding the dragon.

"You shouldn't be here. This place is off limits."

I did my best attempt to look innocent. I suspect this may have worked better if my best attempt was actually any good. I resorted to logic. "There wasn't a sign saying I couldn't go here."

He gave me a hard look, and escorted me through a nearby door, into a corridor, and gave the panel a command to take me to my room. Naturally this meant that the only doors that led to my room would open until I got there. I decided not to press my luck by scrambling back there. My freedom was too precious.

It was a couple of days after that misadventure that Broadway approached me outside.

"I, uh, had a look at your report. You might be interested to know that a Captain Trelawney has earmarked you for advanced combat training..."

Oh joy.


	4. Chapter 4

Broadway had some other interesting titbits. Apparently it was noted that Sarah had some ability to see the future. He suggested that I talk to her, since I knew her better. I successfully resisted the urge to tell him that James was wrong and girls don’t actually have cooties and agreed. Since I share a room with her, I should actually make an effort to get to know her a bit more. And I was comfortable enough around her that the thought of being in an enclosed room with her didn’t actually make my flesh crawl. Which is certainly a 100% improvement over, say, Maria. Or, for that matter, Mr Knowles, but, then again, given his occasionally body shaping weirdness, that was probably just my instincts steering me on a safe course again. As I left, I decided that I’d get to know Sarah better some other time. I really had no idea where to start, and the princess didn’t seem to be stirring. I was still worried about this ‘special combat training’ coming down the line. I didn’t particularly like fighting. I wasn’t bad at it, but it was generally my last response in any given situation.

 

Later that day, as I was exploring more of the facility from the rooftops, I saw a woman with a cobweb tattoo walk by a window below. I froze for a second before taking cover, but I didn’t think that she saw me. I took a few shaking breaths. That was the same tattoo that the sorceress had, I was sure. Did that mean that she was here? Had been here? Was actually real, and not just a figment of my imagination? What did this mean? I peeked my head over the edge again, but the woman was nowhere to be seen now. However, I could see the sorceress in the reflection of one of the panes.

“So they now have you too,” she said hollowly, before disappearing again.

I headed back. I didn’t know what this tattoo meant – I hadn’t seen it before – but I knew someone who might. Jenny. She’d been here twelve years, even if she had never progressed beyond the basic class. I’m sure she’d be happy to tell me what all the different tattoos signified. The biggest problem would be keeping her on target.

 

“Oh yes,” Jenny giggled, finally remembering. “Spiderwebs are fixers. Now, clouds are…” And she was off again. I didn’t want to draw attention to which actual tattoo I was interested in, just in case, so I was just left with a word I wasn’t actually that sure about. Luckily, there were books that explained all the local idioms and slang terms. (For ease of communication between people from different worlds. How it worked at all, I wasn’t sure, far less why slang didn’t seem to translate too well.) Unluckily, they were in the library. Shudder. I really hated being that close to the librarians.

After a quick sneak into the library to check the book out and an equally rapid retreat, I settled down to determine what Jenny meant. Huh. So, assuming that the tattoo was the same (a not unlikely assumption given the sorceress’ reaction) she was involved in doing the facility’s dirty work. Interesting. If only she weren’t so secretive, I might actually learn something. I resolved to keep a record of any flashes of her I saw, to try and figure something about the mysterious place I found myself in.

 

Dreams. My dreams of the others continued, even intensified. Rather than just dreaming I was them, I felt dislocated, like I, Keri, was viewing their actions behind their eyes. I even vaguely remembered commenting on their actions in one or two cases, giving them advice in the same way they gave it to me.

There was a dream of a completely different flavour too. 

I was in a vast hall, filled with people, talking, whispering, laughing. No matter where I turned, there were people, people everywhere. More people than I could track. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I turned again, and I was face to face to face with a huge mirror, and the person reflected was not me.

It might sound like one of my standard dreams, about the princess, say, but it wasn’t. I wasn't sure how I know that, but I did.

 

Jenny was standing in the corridor after class, books spilled everywhere, slowly flailing her hands around. As I moved closer, I heard her voice, dull, slow:

“Where are my books? They were there. But they’re not there now…”

As I closed to within touching distance, I could feel a pressure, a faint suction towards her, as though she were sucking everything nearby in. Given our lessons in basic magical theory, I identified it as a power flow of some kind. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but I didn’t really care. I had to help Jenny. She liked sunlight, so maybe, since she was underground, she was trying to reach out to an alternate source of power? It seemed worth a shot. I grabbed the books and started hustling her towards the lifts.

We were heading upwards when she suddenly snapped into full speed.

“Oh! Where are we? Where are my books?” Her eyes focussed on me. “Oh, hi, Keri! Are those my books?”

I handed them to her. “Does that happen often?”

“What?” she asked in total sincerity.

I waved a hand in air. “Slowing down.”

She scrunched up her face in concentration. “I’m not sure. Maybe?” She looked up at me as if to see if that was the right answer

I sighed. “Could it because you’ve been out of sunlight?”

“Maybe. Sometimes I get slow if I haven’t been outside for a while. But I made sure to go out today!”

I led her to the exit. Once outside, she dropped the books, forgotten in the grass, and luxuriated in the golden light. Once I was fairly sure she was fine, I headed off to find Broadway. He’d aced all the magic classes, though he tried to keep quiet about it.

 

“Hmm…” He examined the spot where I’d found Jenny. “There definitely seems to be a power imbalance here.”

I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes a little. “Even I can sense that. But where does it go? Maybe she was drawing it from somewhere. Maybe a way out of here.” I wouldn’t mention the fabled paths inside the facility.

He paused. “No. She just seems to have been drawing it from here. From the world.”

“So, why didn’t she trip off alarms? If there are all these sensors around, why didn’t they sense her doing this?”

“I don’t know.” He looked as puzzled as I felt.

“Ah well, let’s go out and stretch our legs.” This was our code for getting out and hopefully avoiding being overheard.

Once we were a safe distance from the facility, I began, “If she can do this kind of manipulation without setting off alarms, maybe we can too.”

Broadway looked a little dubious. “That’s an awful risk.”

“I’ve had some experience with controlling those powers.” I’d had to learn, to stay with Lindsey and Kieran. “If I can teach you, then we’re one step closer to escaping.”

Broadway considered the matter for a few moments, then assented.

I decided to try being as subtle as I could. I made a little ripple, as small as I could make it. I tensed. But no armed soldiers materialised to arrest me, no sirens went off, so I untensed a little. Meanwhile, Broadway studied what I had done.

“Hmmm… interesting. Not the way I would have done it, I think. Could you do it again?”

I nodded, and made another, slight, ripple. This was aided by the fact that it was much harder to work here than anywhere else I had been. We spent a while with Broadway studying what I had done, and trying to replicate it as best he could in turn. His power felt odd, alien. Nothing big, but the principle would allow us to travel worlds. We retired to the facility. I still half expected a warm reception when we returned, but nothing. We seemed to have gotten away with it.

 

A couple of days later, there came a frantic knocking at my door. I knew it was Mack – only he could kick up that tempo.

“Have you heard?” he gushed. “There’s a new member of our class. She’s down in Processing! Let’s go see what she’s like!” And he was off, leaving a phlegmatic Clank and sardonic Broadway, who offered me a raised eyebrow before following our self appointed leader.  
Processing was just like I remembered it from a month back. Clean, clinical and confining. I shivered a little bit. I really didn’t like it down here. Mack tried the doors to various rooms and finally hit jackpot.

The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming stench of burnt wood and plastic wafting from the open door. Looking inside, cautiously, I could see a girl, around my age with long blue hair and large eyes, sitting down with some miraculously unsinged possessions around her. The room looked like it had been cleansed by an inferno. Piles of ash and melted plastic everywhere. In one corner there was what I at first assumed was a flame still burning, but I then realised was a tiny bright lizard.

She smiled at us brightly, albeit a little smudged by soot. “Hi! I’m Aleks.”

“Uh, hi,” was the more or less common consensus. We introduced ourselves a little hesitantly. I wasn’t sure whether setting fire to and destroying everything in your room was impressive or deranged. It certainly seemed wasteful, but possibly that was just my scavenging instincts in play.

“You look pleased to be here,” Broadway observed.

“Yes, well, they didn’t give me any choice.” Aleks looked outraged. “They won’t let me leave here, either.”

“We’re all in the same boat here,” Broadway replied. “Though some of us, at least, were asked first.”

“What kind of people wouldn’t even let me leave for the anniversary of my parents’ death?” Aleks continued. My heart went out to her. I knew what it was like to lose parents, even if I had managed to find Kieran and Lindsey again. “I can’t celebrate it properly if I’m not where they died.”

What?

*Celebrate*?

I was a little stunned. From the general silence of the group, so was everyone else.

“Um, celebrate?” Mack asked, in the most hesitant voice I’m ever heard from him.

“Yes. Well, it was an accident. I didn’t *mean* to kill them,” she continued in an unrepentant voice.

“I see,” said Mack. Definitely the shortest sentence I’ve ever heard out of him. Nevertheless, he soon recovered, and was happily talking nineteen to the dozen within a few minutes.

 

“I’ve decided that I’m going to remove these tattoos,” Aleks indicated the offending sigils with her sword.

“Oh, you’ve heard about them too,” Broadway noted, referring to their alleged tracking properties. 

She looked blank in response. “I just don’t like the way they look.”

“Um, well,” Broadway temporised, “Anyway, we have someone who’s done that already.” He nodded at me.

I felt a little sick recalling the steel sliding just beneath my flesh, but focussed on the present. “The markings are only skin deep. It isn’t hard to remove them. If you really want to. They just put them back, though.”

“Cool,” she replied. It was at the point that she laid her blade on her arm that I realised that her waving around her weapon wasn’t just a rhetorical flourish. “Don’t use a sword,” I hissed. “If you really have to do it, use a knife. It’s no use, anyway, they’ll just replace them.”

Aleks cheerfully ignored my warning about the point of the exercise, though she did at least swap her sword for a knife. I winced at the thought of the damage that using such a blade to skin yourself would do. She still took a fairly big chunk of her flesh out, though. I really hoped that she healed as quickly as I did.

“Well, that’s done,” she chirped, discarding ragged bits of flesh. “Now, let’s go to a secure place. I want to burn my way inside, and see what’s there!”

It was at this point my finely honed sense for danger was tingling. This just seemed pointless and asking for trouble, and I didn’t want to be in the area when this went down. I headed off with Clank and (much as he protested) Mack, leaving Broadway and Aleks to go off in search of things to burn. I really rather thought Broadway had more sense.

 

I later heard that it went down pretty much the way I expected. Aleks tried to burn down a door to a place we hadn’t been allowed to go (though we didn’t really have any idea what was behind it). Sprinklers fired. Maria turned up, chastised Aleks and dragged her off. Possibly surprisingly, Broadway said that he didn’t catch any flak for just being in the area.

 

A couple of days later, scuttlebutt had it that Aleks had been allowed to go outside to cool off for a few days. I didn’t see either the forest or the facility on fire, and I didn’t see her distinctive blue haired form on my excursions, so I pretty much shrugged.

 

The night before our new arrival was due to join our classes, there came a gentle tapping at my door. I opened it to reveal Broadway, who looked a little pale. I ushered him in.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was in the library and I heard a commotion. The Librarians were all around Aleks. They had cancelled her fire ability but not before she had slagged a computer and toasted one the librarians. They are pacifist and so despite the pain they obviously felt they didn’t kill her, just banned her from the library.”

What can you say to that? I mean, the giant spider things sent chills down my spine every time I entered the library, but I wouldn’t just kill them. Aleks always seemed quite friendly whenever I saw her, so I guess that I hadn’t realised how scary and dangerous she was. We were going to have to share a class with her. What if she decided that she didn’t like how we were? Would she just try and kill us? Could I stop her if she did? How could I outrun a flame?

We stood in silence for a few minutes, before Broadway made his goodbyes and headed off. I wondered if he was going to try and make a gadget to defend himself from fire? He’d set up a small workshop outside, in the woods, with my help. My help mostly consisted of scavenged supplies, granted. Despite my own background in scavenging whatever was lying around, what Broadway managed to do in the workshop went way over my head. I guess that there were some benefits to practically living in the library.

Thinking about the library brought me back around to Aleks. Scary girl. I made a mental note to try to not get on her bad side. Classes might prove to be interesting.

 

I was up bright and early like the facility insisted, and in classes on time, along with the rest of the class, with the notable exception of our latest blue haired recruit. Mr Knowles first tapped his foot impatiently, then growled, then finally (after putting his fist through the wall - he either has anger problems or is *very, very* good at faking them) marched out of the room with a curt 'Make sure they keep working on their exercises' to Maria. He returned a few minutes later propelling a somewhat sullen looking Aleks. He bore no scorch marks, which I considered a good sign. The lesson began.

When we got to the question and answer portion of the lesson, I decided to actually ask some questions, for once.

"What do the tattoos actually do?" As far as even Broadway could tell, they were just inert ink. Maria had been more than a little hazy on the subject, so I thought that I'd ask someone who might know.

"Ah," he said, sitting down on his desk, "What a surprise to hear from *you*, little mouse. Well, in answer to your question, they act as both power sinks and power dampeners. They're there to contain your powers, at least to some extent, to try and reduce the likelihood of uncontained flares."

"Why can't we tell that there's anything magical about them, then?" Broadway asked. I mean, I could believe this, but surely at least Broadway would have seen something like that.

"They're synchronised to your aura. It's impossible for the bearer to detect their signature. It's possible, albeit very difficult, for someone else to see them magically." He smiled indulgently. "Maybe with a few years of specialist training, this will be more possible for the more talented of you." I looked over at Broadway. He looked at one of my hand tattoos, then nodded slightly. Years of training. Hah.

"Do the different tattoos do anything, or is it just cosmetic?" I thought it was worth asking.

"They are cosmetic, in the sense that they denote place and function in the hierachy of the facility. They are also functional. As you progress in grade, you can be trusted wiht more access to your abilities."

"Does anyone not have tattoos? Can we get them removed?" Aleks decided to join in.

"The only one without tattoos is the Director." Huh. That's a question I wouldn't have thought to ask. "Student's tattoos are removed upon graduation, assuming they do not choose to remain here as staff or for further education. Off course," Mr Knowles added after a pause and displaying a smile with far too many teeth. "There is another way to lose them."

"What's that?" Aleks demanded.

"You could fail."

"Really..." Aleks mused.

"Yup. The tattoos will certainly not be a problem after that."

"And neither would anything else." I muttered to Broadway. Broadway nodded in return. Aleks remained blissfully off in a world of her own, missing the connotation that even I had got.

Mr Knowles sighed, realising that the point had flown blissfully over Aleks' head. "You don't want to fail."

I decided it was time to interject another question. "So what happens if we don't get these tattoos and training? Do we really destroy ourselves and the worlds around us?" I figured I might as well get the party line, and try and figure out how much truth there was in it.

"Ah," he settled back. "You really are being talkative today, little mouse. The standard progression is that your powers start manifesting in small ways, drawing energy from the world around you. Both potency of your abilities and how much energy you siphon increases with time. You may gain control over your abilities given time, but it doesn't end there. Mental instabilities develop. Paranoia, delusions, sociopathy, loss of impulse control are all common symptons," he glanced over at Aleks "and they are accompanied by a willingness to use one's power. And so the cycle propagates, faster and faster. Worse, the energy drain damages the structure of the worlds around you. Taken together, these two factors pretty much guarantee devastation. Unless we step in to stop this."

Huh. The example of Aleks popping up just in time seemed a little convenient but I wondered. I hadn't detected anything like that. I'd pretty much managed to stop using my powers. Though I guess that they were right about the worlds falling apart. Was that really all my fault? Was the fact that *they* had arrived in my world my fault? All those dead? I resolved to get to the bottom of this, but refused to shoulder the blame until I had discovered the truth.

I decided to raise that point. "I'd pretty much gotten control of my ability. I'd stopped using it - I didn't want to shift worlds anymore, and I didn't want to risk damaging the one I was in. How does this fit with your progression?"

Aleks chipped in with "I had control of my abilities too." Apparently she had missed the fact that she seemed to pretty much fit the profile exactly.

Mr Knowles rolled his eyes a little at Aleks' words before turning to face me. "It can get better before it gets worse."

"How do you know that for certain? If there are children out there who have abilities, who gain control of them, then presumably they'll never come to your attention. Then you only find the ones who have't gained control yet, or the ones that went bad. Which could be the exceptions."

He harrumphed. "It's possible. But not likely. We're pretty good at finding children, not just by following destruction. Every one we've come across that we've not trained has ended up on the same path of destruction. It's too great a risk to assume that they won't."

"Are we at risk of damaging this world? Are we weakening it by drawing upon it?"

"This world has been strengthened and it's borders fortified. You should have all noticed this. It would be difficult for you to draw dangerous levels of energy from it. Dangerous to others, anyway. You could easily damage or kill yourselves. The tattoos help mitigate this risk."

"Is this strengthening effect stopping us from worldwalking?" I ventured.

"Yes."

"Have you been to many other worlds?" Another interesting question from Aleks that I wouldn't have thought of.

Mr Knowles looked vaguely nostalgic for a second. "Not as many as some. A few tens, over my life."

"Have you been to any of these worlds?" She described a series of them. The only one whcih caught my attention was a description of a blasted world with a glowing green tower. I'd been there, or somewhere very like that. Did that mean that all three of us were from the same area of the worlds? Was this just a coincidence? If it wasn't I imagined that the facility didn't know what was behind it either, given the grilling they gave the two of us when we arrived. I wondered what it meant. I hoped that Aleks hadn't been through my adopted world. It didn't sound like it, but she might have forgotten it.

Mr Knowles shook his head. "Not that I can remember. It's a big multiverse out there though, so the chance of me being in the same area are fairly small." That just made it sound like the chances of Aleks , Broadway and I being connected being higher. I wondered which one of us they'd actually been looking for when they found us. "Anyway," he stood up. "the questions and answers session is now over. Back to logic..."

 

Broadway and I retired outside after classes. We tended to spend a lot of time out there - all the better to avoid being overheard, either physically, mechanically or magically. Broadway claimed to be pretty sure of this, and he seemed to be good, so I trusted him. It wasn't as though we had a good alternative.

"Do you think you could make fake tattoos?" I asked him hesitantly. I didn't want to go through that again, but if we could escape using unfettered powers, then it was worth the risk.

He nodded slowly. "I think so. But it's a risk."

I nodded. "I know. Best try it on me first. I heal quickly. And you can keep an eye on me."

"If I didn't think you could control you powers, I wouldn't even consider doing this." His faith warmed my heart a little. I had to be able to control them. I can't have been the person to let *them* loose on my world. I can't have been the person who killed my parents.

I saw movement, and hushed Broadway. Clank, Mack, Aleks, James and Jenny were walking towards us, Mack leading the conversation as always.

"I've something to show you," Aleks announced to us grandly. Apparently she'd already said something of the sort to the others. She opened her arms. I got ready to do something, anything, if she decided to try and fry us. I sensed the buzz of magic, but no flames erupted.

*She calls something* the sorceress whispered in my ear, apparently responding to my fear. It didn't help. Calling what?  
I soon got my answer.

The beat of giant leathery wings was our first sign. Almost before it became audible, I was off, others forgotten, for the rooftops, for safety. When the dragon came into view, I was ready, and jumped down a gully in the rooftop hopefully narrow enough that the dragon couldn't reach me, and pressed myself up against the underside of a gantry. 

It might shield me against dragon fire. I hoped I wouldn't have to find out. My heart rate subsided, a bit. I hadn't survived two and a half years by not being cautious. As I calmed down, I realised that I had left the others out there exposed. I wasn't used to being part of a group.

I had heard voices, but hadn't really paid attention. What drew my attention was the approaching footsteps. Human sized, thankfully. They stopped about ten metres or so away, down on the ground.

"I am Captain Edward Trelawney," a low male voice came. I *recognised* that voice. The man who had appeared when I tried sneaking into the military courtyard. "We met on the rooftops a little while ago." The name came a little later. The man who had requested me for special combat training. Great. "I will be shortly be taking over your combat tuition." He sighed. "I wanted to speak with you in an informal setting first, but I understand if this is not a good time. I will find you again soon. Good day, Miss A’Court.” The footsteps retreated in the direction of the nearest door. Apparently he wasn't intending to leave by dragonback.

The voices continued over by where the dragon had landed. Aleks was displaying her knowledge of and prouding proclaiming her friendship to the dragon. The presence of a giant winged thing that could eat me was still playing havoc with my nerves. I decided to get out of there whilst the going was good.

 

From the distance of about half a mile, I could still see when the dragon took wing, away, towards the mountains. This seemed like a good time as any to return, and hopefully find my classmates untouched. (Though Aleks still set off my scary meter.) They were still whole, unsinged and uneaten. Mack was chattering and Clarence was reading. All was normal.

Broadway took me to one side.

"I don't know how much of that you heard?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing, really. I had other things on my mind."

"I noticed. Aleks seemed to think you were being quite unreasonable not coming out to see 'her' dragon."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm guessing you had a point to dragging me off here."

"Yes, well. Aleks was brought here against her will, like us, so I considered her as a potential recruit to our cause."

"Joy."

"But she's said that she trusts the dragon implicitly. That she 'guarantees'" his emphasis led no doubt as to how much weight he put in her guarantee "that anything she tells it, it will keep in strictest confidence."

"What does it have to say on the matter."

"I don't know how a dragon manages to convey a grin without mental contact, but it did."

"Huh." To be honest, I was half of the opinion that Aleks *needed* the facility, so that wasn't a massive loss. The princess suggested a couple of ways a loose cannon who might leak information to enemy might be useful, but her heart wasn't in it.

Then Jenny started freaking.

It started like the last time. She went vacant and there was a sucking sensation, as though everything around her was being drawn in. This time, however, it was far more potent. Her tattoos started to writhe, then fade. She began moaning, then screaming. This, I thought, was bad.

My first instinct was to run. This was bad. This was magical. This was dangerous. My second instinct was still to run. I overrode it, with difficulty. I *liked* Jenny, for all that she was a scatterbrain. But I didn't know what to do. The others were coming over to look, to talk, to question. There was a buzz of magic. I blocked it all out, putting aside the desire to run. I turned inside.

*Please,* I begged the sorceress, the fixer, *You've got to help me. Help her.*

The sorceress sighed. *Very well. Let me guide you.*

It was a second before I realised that that was a question. I was far too used to the assassin just taking control. *Go ahead.*

I was suddenly aware of the differences between my fumbling attempts at using my power, and that of a trained expert. Where I used a fist or a palm to create or smooth ripples, she just *breathed* with a smooth economy. I don't think she was any older than I, but she was clearly way more practised. The power rushing into Jenny slowed to a trickle. She turned her head towards me, tears streaking down her face. Her feet were digging into the ground, turning into roots. She reached towards me, in entreaty.

The power rushing towards her screamed that she was dangerous to me. That I should run, get out of here. I had survived by those instincts, by myself, for years.

I had survived, I realised, but I had not lived.

I consciously overrode all my instincts to take her hand. She clutched me.

"They took her away from me," she whimpered. "With fire and axe they took her."

And then we were engulfed in fire.

She screamed, and I almost joined her before I realised that it was just a shell, a sphere. The flames were not advancing. Not that this mattered to Jenny. She was screaming, and trying to retreat into the ground. The flow of power increased. Leaving the sorceress to take care of the power side, I took my jacket off. I had to get her out of there. I wrapped her in my jacket, then dumped the contents of my water canteen over it, picked her up, and ran at the sphere. It burst before me. I guessed the power had been released. I rushed her to the stream, and plunged her into it.

"You're safe now," I shushed her. "I've got you. You're safe." I forbode to mention that touching her made my flesh crawl.

Aleks joined me in the stream, hissing gently. She attempted to make calming noises as well. She obviously wasn't that used to that kind of thing. Possibly thankfully, Jenny focussed on me.

Broadway called: "Take her this way. I think I've found somewhere that can hold her, for now."

I followed in the stream for as long as I could, then left it, Jenny holding me tight. Broadway had led us to a mighty oak. "Bring her up to it." Broadway ordered. I followed his instructions. As she reached it, she twisted away from me and embraced the oak, melding with it. "Release her and step away." Broadway gave rather unnecessarily as I hastily backed away to behind him.

In front of me, over the buzz of magic, Jenny melded with the tree, disappearing into the trunk. Silver bark sprouted from the place she had touched, coating the tree in a manner of minutes.

"Is she fine? Is she safe?" I asked Broadway anxiously after he had finished.

He avoided my look. "For now." He paused, looking like just the boy he was, for a second. "I'll do something. I have to be able to do something."

And from behind us came facility staff. Maria leading a trio of them. One of them had a cobweb tattoo. My stomach knotted.

"We'll handle the situation from here," the woman with the cobweb tattoo told us.


	5. Chapter 5

We were fairly quickly ushered back inside the facility, and the door wouldn't let us out again. Thankfully, I'd explored enough to know a few other exits that they might not have thought to bar. I liked Jenny. I wanted to keep an eye on her, and I could skip a night of sleep with little ill effect.

"Let me know how it goes," Broadway asked before I headed off, looking as concerned as I felt. I nodded and left.

Luckily, they had only bothered to lock us out from the nearest door, so I slipped outside with only a slightly longer walk. Night had well and truly fallen by this point, but it was that hard to make my way over the rooftops to the other door. From there I could see a dully luminescent glow somewhere in the forest that most definitely usually wasn't there. I grimaced. I really didn't want to be seen or heard, but woodlands really weren't my area of expertise. I took my shoes off and shoved them into my pack. It would make running more difficult, but hopefully I would be able to feel any twigs in the darkness before stepping on them. I got closer as quietly as I could.

The area around the glow was a hive of activity. Around Jenny's oak, about five people had just about finished erecting a large tent. Six more people were sitting crosslegged in a fairly large circle around the tree, chanting. The three who had arrived just before we were hurried away stood in the circle concentrating, apparently not needing to give orders. There were also about five fairly burly looking men and women around the perimeter, keeping a beady eye out for trouble. The glow itself was coming from various stones placed just outside the circle formed by the chanters, a soft glow that nonetheless illuminated. I decided not to risk going any closer. After a few minutes, I spotted Maria pacing around outside the circle, glancing fretfully in. Her expression didn't exactly fill me with hope. I settled down. I guessed it would be a long wait.

After about half an hour, the guards' attention shifted in the direction of the Facility. Looking over in that direction, I saw a distinctly less than gentle glow heading in our direction. I hardly had to guess. Aleks. The glow cut out a little way out.

With her customary subtlety, she marched straight for the circle. She would have marched straight in if a guard hadn't planted himself firmly in the way.

"Let me in."

"Sorry."

"I can help," she stated with burning sincerity.

"Let the professionals do their work."

Somewhat surprsingly, Aleks actually backed off a little after arguing a little more, and started prowling around the perimeter. I held my breath as she approached, but she didn't seem to notice me. After a couple of minutes of this, Maria made her way out of the circle to Aleks.

"Hi, Chuckles. What are you doing here?" Aleks bridled a little at the hated nickname, obvious even in the twilight, but Maria's heart obviously wasn't in it. She sounded tired.

"I'm trying to help. They won't let me in."

"You can't do anything. Let the specialists do what they can."

"I could at least lend them my energy."

I could see Maria looking skeptically at her. "I'm sure Jenny would appreciate the thought, but energy isn't the problem at the moment. Getting her stabilised is. Too much energy is as bad as too little."

"Oh." Aleks paused a second. "What are her chances?"

Maria sighed. "Not good. I've seen this before. The person almost never survives."

Jenny was going to die? I had to do something. There had to be something I could do. But not here. I snuck off into the darkness, leaving them behind.

Jenny had talked about her tree, that had been chopped down. Fire that had burnt her forest. (Thanks, Aleks!) Maybe she needed a new one. I needed to find one that felt (sounded?) like her, and I didn't think I was going to get it around here. They had told us that world travel was impossible, but, to be honest, I hadn't tried. This seemed like a good time for an attempt. I walked for a couple of miles in the darkness. I didn't like forests, but it seemed a good idea to do this here away from the Facility and it's sensors. Well, maybe not 'good' per se, but better than doing it on their rooftop.

I sat down, and raised my hand. I needed to make some ripples, to reach through and grab something that felt like Jenny. It was hard going. Making a ripple felt like trying to force my hand through putty. And I couldn't feel anything through it.

*I need help.* I called to the others. *Please.*

The sorceress came and took my hand. With some hesitation, the princess did likewise. I pushed my hand in and out of the putty like substance around this world, slowly creating a ripple, ignoring the protests of my mind as it felt like it was slowly being ripped apart. We had to do this, for Jenny. I could feel something, through the quagmire, something that sounded like here. I reached for it, ignoring the the wrenching, and grasped it, pulling it towards me. I had just enough time to see that I had managed to find a small sapling, earth still dangling from it's roots, before the pain caught up with me and everything went black.

 

When I awoke with a splitting headache, everything was still dark. I wasn't sure what time it was, nor how long I had been out. I still had my prize though. Maybe Broadway could help me with it. I wasn't sure where he was, but if he had come out, a good first place to start looking for him would be the workshop we had set up in the woods.

On the way there, the woods were even more quiet than usual. I had the feeling that something was watching me, but I couldn't see or hear anything. I hate the woods.

By the time I had got there, the headache had mostly cleared up. There was still an absence, an almost unfelt ache in my head. Something was wrong, and I didn't know what it was. I shrugged mentally. I'd get better.

Thankfully Broadway was there.

"What happened? You'd been gone so long, I came out to look for you."

"I found something." I showed him the sapling. "Maybe it could help Jenny."

He took the sapling in hand and examined it for a few minutes. "Huh. This might work." He looked up at me. "I guess the news isn't good."

"Maria says that she doesn't think Jenny's chances are good. I had to try something."

"Well, let's see what we can do."

I heard a rustling in the undergrowth. Approaching, fast. My first instinct was to run fast. But I had someone here. I sprung to my feet, tossed Broadway over one shoulder, and ran, hard. He'd slow me down, but even like this I knew from practise that I was faster than he was.

As he was being carried along, he whispered in my ear “Something is using, something like sonar to find us, and I may be able to block. We need to know what it is. We need to know if it works for the Faculty and if so has it sent to them, because it will find our workshop. We have left all sorts of traces that identify us. We can’t just run.”

I thought about just ignoring him but decided to reply, quietly. "We have to. If it is facility, then we have to get out of here before backup arrives. What else were you planning to do, kill it? If it isn't then we don't lose anything by getting out of here."

"No if it is transmitting, that will give me a way into its head, and see if we can retrieve the situation. If it isn’t, then we try and get back to the workshop before back up arrives and whilst it hunts us, assuming I can as I think I can block its search. Then I wipe the place clean of our psychic imprints and we abandon it," said Broadway, "Of course it may just be a critter."

I stopped for a second, then nodded, reluctantly. "It's a risk. Fine, it doesn't sound like you need my help that much, with either of those options. I'll keep going, and try and hide the sapling. Then if you get caught, if there is backup on the way already, we haven't lost everything. We can still help Jenny."

He nodded back. "True and it will probably try to track you, we should have rigged communicators, hum, okay meet up... how about the waterfall in three hours?"

I groaned a little at the thought of having to venture back into the forest, but nodded and put him down.

Just then the workshop exploded.

It took me a second to realise that it hadn't physically exploded, that the ringing in my ears was from a magical explosion. That second was long enough for me to have accelerated to full speed, leaving Broadway behind. I thought about stopping, about going back for him, but I figured that he was probably still going to go back. And, after that, I'd be really surprised if Facility staff weren't incoming.

A few seconds after that I heard movement behind me. Too fast to be Broadway, so he hadn't had a sudden attack of sanity and followed me. I sped up to a full sprint in the darkness, dodging trees frantically, then stopped, dead, and slowly inched my way at an angle to my original path. The movement passed me, went on. Once I was sure that I was alone again, I moved in a jagged path back to the facility.

In the month that had passed, I had learned how to shield my signature. I was surprisingly good at this - probably second only to Broadway in our class. I was fairly sure that I could hide unnoticed up on the rooftops now.

The odd but by now familiar architecture surrounded me as I curled up in one of my hidden dens. I catnapped a little, senses outstretched, but nothing disturbed me and I woke a couple of hours later, and decided to make my way to the waterfall, sapling in hand. Broadway was awaiting me there, looking none the worse for wear, looking up at the waterfall, feet in the water. He jumped a little as I entered the glade.

“Been a hell of a day huh?” he asked me.

"I've had worse. Did you manage to get away clean?"

“That is questionable,” Broadway admitted, “I knew I had the thing following blocked and then I saw a girl run by. I returned to the workshop to clean stuff up, but there was something else there. I was still blocking so and I think it didn't spot me. Whatever it was, it wandered off and the girl returned having decided apparently that you had got to safety. Her name apparently was Jinx and according to what she said she did lots to help her. The beast she thinks was after you not me. Some sort of bug that the facility use to track down people who make reality breaches apparently. I gave her my name. It would have been pointless not doing so. She either worked for them or as she claimed she enjoyed throwing the occasional spanner in the works. I don’t think she followed me here but I figured if she had it would be a physical tracking and you would spot her."

"Interesting. Have you thought of a way to get to Jenny so we can help her? I have been doing some thinking," I admitted, "And my best plan isn't very good. I'd be glad if you can think of something better." Bad wasn't the word for my plan. If only I could think of something better.

"I don't know. If we're going to save Jenny, I think we're going to need to get in close to get the sapling to her. Maybe I could make a distraction whilst you approach?"

I sighed. "My idea might possibly work better. Whatever they are doing to save her is probably at least a little fragile, and if we go barging in there, we might disrupt it. Which could be bad for us *and* Jenny. I could just go up, and ask if we can try our method, which we think will work, with the unspoken part that we'll try anyway and at least this way they get to work with what we are doing rather than us fighting and possibly both losing." I shrugged. "Why me? I figure you've got a fighting chance to do this without me. I'm not so sure the other way around is true. Also, we already know that they're after me."

He laughed. "Fair enough. Let's do it."

I led him towards Jenny and stopped about five minutes out.

"Stay here. If I don't return, then assume that they have disagreed with our plan, and do whatever you think is best." I handed him the sapling and headed off into the darkness.

I wandered around a bit. I didn't want to lead them directly to him, in the off chance they decided to follow my trail back.

When I arrived back near the circle, there was a lot less activity. The tent had been taken down, and I could only see four people. The three who had arrived first were still inside the circle and a guard was lounging around outside. Despite his relaxed air, something told me that he had already spotted me and was keeping an eye on me. Fine. I wasn't planning on hiding anyway. I walked straight up to him.

"Hi. I need to speak to one of them." I nodded at the three in the circle.

He raised an eyebrow and looked me up and down. Probably at my presumption. I think the princess had given up trying to coach me on social niceties, and generally settled on watching the trainwreck from the back of my head.

"No one's allowed in."

"That's why I'm asking you first rather than marching in past you."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll see if anyone wants to talk to you. Alicia," he called back without ever taking his eyes off me (obviously he'd had experience with us students) "Someone here who wants to talk to you."

The woman with a cobweb tattoo came over. “Yes?” she inquired looking down at me.

“We’ve got something that might help. I thought it would be best if we could work together, rather than against. Less problems that way.”

“I see.” She paused. “What have you got that might help? I’ll look at it and see.”

“It’s not here. We kept it away just in case you disagreed. Given my talent with powers, I’m fairly disposable.”

“Well, bring it here and we’ll take a look at it. I’m not promising anything, but if it can help…”

I figured that this was probably the best I was going to get. I headed off.

 

By the time that I managed to make it back to where I had left Broadway (I took a bit of a detour – basic paranoia) the sky was beginning to get a little light. It has been an entire day since I last slept, but it felt like at least two. Maybe three. Broadway was resting against a tree, concentrating on the sapling. He looked up as I approached.

“I was just cleaning off your signature from the sapling. How’d it go?”

I gave a one shoulder shrug. “Could have gone better, could have gone worse. They want to have a look at it. I figure it’s the best deal we’re going to get. Want to come along?”

“Sure.” He straightened up. “Let’s go.”

It took a lot less time when I just went straight for the clearing. Alicia and one of the other people in the circle, a crystalline woman with a ouroboros tattoo, were waiting for us. Alicia stepped outside the circle as we approached. Broadway handed the sapling to her without saying anything.

She examined it and her eyebrow raised a little. She looked towards to the crystalline woman. “Huh, it’s got a similar signature to Jenny. Want to take a look for compatibility?”

The woman moved outside the circle with an elegant grace. Alicia handed the sapling to her, and she looked it over in her turn. “I think it’s certainly worth trying.” She looked at us. “Thank you.” They then moved inside the circle and met up with the third of their number. They obviously started making ritual movements, but I couldn’t hear any of the magic from outside the circle. The crystalline woman went to the tree, and drew Jenny out. She had tattoos again, though they were more ornate and barred, but also faded, as though they had been in the sun for weeks. Whatever they had done was obviously failing.

Tattoos. They faded with power use. I looked at the back of my hands. Sure enough, the one on my right hand, which I had used to grab the sapling, was faded. I grabbed Broadway.

“Why don’t we go for a walk, and leave them to do their thing?” He looked quizzically at me, but assented.

“What’s wrong?” he asked when we were a little way away.

I showed him my right hand. “Do you think you can fix it? Or at least make it look non-faded?”

He concentrated on it. It felt *wrong*, like someone was probing me intimately with something that just felt alien. I instinctively resisted. He clicked his tongue in irritation. “You’re going to need to relax if I’m going to take a proper look at this.” With an effort, I relaxed. He continued. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was bearable. After a few minutes he stopped. “Sorry. It’s far more complicated than I thought. I don’t think that I can do anything about this right now. You’re leaking power. I think you need to go see a medic.”

I sighed. Ah well, a chance to save Jenny had been worth the gamble. “Well, at least we know where some specialists are. Let’s go see them.” I headed off back to the clearing.

 

We had to wait a while for them to finish the ritual. By the end of it, the sapling had been planted and Jenny was curled up around it. After all the chanting and waving of hands had ceased, eyes turned towards us. Alicia and the crystalline woman’s to be exact. They headed towards us.

“You will be pleased to know that we’ve managed to stabilise her. At least for now.” The crystalline woman said. “Hopefully it will take this time,” she muttered, mostly to herself.

“What do you mean?” Broadway asked.

“We’ve tried bonding her to plants before. She always kills them. You, at least, managed to find a plant with a similar signature.” She looked at us both penetratingly. “You wouldn’t find that around here. Where did you get it from?”

*Help. What should I say?* I asked internally.

*Lie.* the princess advised baldly. *Say you found it whilst you were looking for a suitable plant for Jenny.*

I told that to the crystalline woman, who looked a little unconvinced and questioned me further. Claiming not to knowing done anything, and not to have remembered doing anything mollified her slightly, though I really couldn’t tell whether or not she believed me.

“Hold still whilst I examine you,” she asked. At my tensing, she added “I’m just having a looked at your tattoos. If you did unknowingly breach the world barrier, they might have sustained damage. Which might be bad.”

I didn’t exactly untense. “I don’t know you. Why should I trust you? I don’t even know your name.”

She sighed a little. “Very well. My name is Serafina, and I am somewhat of a medical specialist in these areas. Please, let me have a look.”

On the one hand, I really didn’t like this. On the other, I knew full well that I had a damaged tattoo that might need tending to. And at least Serafina was asking before just doing, a refreshing change for the facility. “Okay.”

I could feel gentle waves of magic from her flowing over me. A little freaky, but not nearly so much as when Broadway used his power.

“Hmmm…” she said. “It looks like you’ve taken some damage to the tattoo on your right hand. If you want, I can fix it up here. That way we don’t have to get all official about this.”

Alicia asked, “Are you sure about that?”

She smiled at me, and replied. “Why make trouble for the child? She’s given us something that should at least hold until the team gets back from Jenny’s world. Would you consent to this?” she asked me.

I was still more than a little shocked. A member of the facility, bending rules to help me? To keep me out of official trouble? I really hadn’t been expecting this.

“Um, okay.” Suddenly thinking, “Would you mind if I observed what you’re doing?” I just knew Broadway would want to look at this, but given his general paranoia, wouldn’t risk actively looking. I figured me being able to tell him would be the next best thing.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

We’d had some lessons in class about the difference between active and passive senses. Passive magical senses were what we could sense without effort. The discordant buzzing sounds I sometimes heard were my passive magical senses at work. You could also extend your magical senses. The problem, of course, was that such an extension was a use of power, and so could be sensed in turn. It was much better at sensing stuff, though. Broadway didn’t really talk that much about what he sensed, but I got the impression it wasn’t sounds for him.

Her music started, an orchestra of intricately woven sounds that held me gently, vibrating strings woven inside me, stitching, binding and reweaving them. The sorceress lurked in the back of my mind, but cautiously - curious, but trying to remain hidden. Finally she finished and stepped away.

“What do the tattoos do?” I wasn’t really expecting an answer, but I thought I might as well ask someone who knew. Besides, I was almost certain Broadway a) wanted to and b) wouldn’t.

To my utter surprise, she answered. “They are just the visible part of the system. The complete system regulates energy flow into, throughout and out of your body. It’s anchored to nodes around your body. Look up chakra in the library. Your tattoos themselves are used to monitor your condition. I could explain in more detail, but at your level of tuition you wouldn’t be able to understand it.”

“Should you really be telling them this?” Alicia interjected.

“If they ask, then I’m going to answer,” Seraphina serenely replied. “I don’t agree with the Facility’s paranoia about such things.”

Alicia looked towards the guard for help, but he just smiled. “Oh no, I’m keeping out of this.”

“If we, I wouldn’t understand it because I haven’t had sufficient tuition, could you arrange greater access at the library?” I asked her with a bright smile. I didn’t really want it for myself, but Broadway would be thrilled to bits to get it.

“Sorry.” She apologised. “But you could ask your tutors. If you demonstrate advanced aptitude, they might well grant it.” She paused and considered. “If you made a breach, then a hunter will have undoubtedly have found the trail and be looking for you. Would you mind if we found out which one had spotted you, and let it sniff you? It can’t rest or eat until it does so. “And, of course, if we do it now, we don’t have to do it officially.” She added.

“Fine, I guess. What do I have to do?”

“Nothing. You just have to let it sniff you. It won’t do anything to you,” she added to assuage my unspoken fears.

I relaxed a little. “Thanks.”

Alicia disappeared off, and returned a little later with a humanoid figure in chitinous armour accompanied by a man sized insect.  
“Would you ask Jinx not to use her magic bombs around the hunters. It hurts them.” The man said in a buzzing voice.

I looked blank. “Sorry, I haven’t met anyone called Jinx, as far as I know.” Which was true. Broadway maintained his customary silence.

“This is the one?” he asked Alicia. She nodded. “Just stay still,” he instructed me. “She won’t hurt you.” She? I really couldn’t tell.  
I somehow managed to avoid flinching as she approached. I don’t have a problem with bugs, per se, but I definitely have a problem with mansized ones. I really didn’t know why the Facility seemed to have such a fascination with them. The bug came up to me, waved it’s feelers around, then moved back towards the man in a vaguely satisfied manner.

“Thank you,” the man buzzed, then moved back into the forest.

“I take it you won’t be joining the handlers,” Alicia asked with a smirk after he’d gone.

“No! I, uh, wasn’t planning on staying around after graduation.”

“Well, green as you are, that’ll be some time yet. Hadn’t you better be off for lessons soon?”

“It’s a rest day today. No lessons.”

“Ah, to be a student again and have so much free time. I can hardly remember a time when that was true for me.”

“I can,” the guard interjected. Alicia gave him a look. He smiled easily in response. They started bickering about old times.

“If I have more questions, could I see you again?” I asked Seraphina with a rush of warmth to my cheeks.

“Ask the communications system for me. I can’t promise when I’ll be able to see you – they do keep me rather busy – but you can certainly ask. Now after that ordeal, as a doctor I would advise that you get some rest. Breaching the barrier is never easy, and from the look of your bloodshot eyes, I think you definitely need it. Don’t worry, we’ll stay here to look after Jenny.”

She was probably right, and I didn’t want to look like an obstinate child in front of her. I waved her, and the rest of them, goodbye, and left for my room. At least there, she could get me a message if necessary. I left with a somewhat unexpected skip in my step, especially when considering I was going to rest in the constricting confines of the Facility. I was hardly weighted down by my exhaustion at all.


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the weekend seemed rather tame after that. Jenny was taken off inside the Facility somewhere to recover and that was that. I started on the next order of business – finding a good site for Broadway’s new workshop. Luckily, I had found several areas of the Facility which seemed to be deserted. I bugged Broadway until he mocked up some watching devices which I left there to see if they were, actually deserted, and spent the rest of the time trying to explore further into the Facility, using exits that weren’t near the areas I was observing. Generally speaking I could only get so far before running into an area I wasn’t allowed into yet, but they seemed generally permissive rather than restrictive about where I was allowed to go. At least for the top levels. I had no idea how far down the Facility went.

Lessons began and Jenny wasn’t there. Neither was Aleks, but, honestly, I was less worried about her. Mr Knowles said that she was doing fine and would return to classes ‘in a while.’ I had to wonder, though. Seraphina had said that this had happened before, and that this was probably only a temporary measure. I didn’t want to see her die.

I spent even more time out on the roof, alone, than usual. Learning the place, where the shortcuts were, where the slippery moss was, where the hidden pipe lurked beneath the ivy. Running, climbing, leaping. Tiring myself out a little, so I could sleep easier at night. I lost everyone once. I didn’t want to lose anyone again.

I thought about trying to contact Seraphina, to talk to her and to try and find out how Jenny was, but I was too nervous. Butterflies lurked in my stomach, stealthily waiting for any stray thought of her. I didn’t know why she made me feel particularly shy, or why it even mattered. Why she mattered. The exercise over the rooftops helped me avoid those kind of thoughts too.

Before I knew it, it was the middle of the week, and Mr Knowles had an important announcement. Apparently, we had learned enough that we would be joining with another class. Mr Knowles professed amazement that certain of us were considered good enough. I ignored the sarcasm, as I pretty much always did by now. Rising to the bait just provided him with amusement. He also mentioned that our quarters were being reconfigured as he spoke, and that we'd have access to a new common area, including a kitchen. He looked at me as he added that that meant we could now have roast bird as well as raw. Bastard. So the inside of the Facility could be changed around? Interesting. Would play hell with my mental map if they did it often, but they didn't seem to. In my month-long experience of this place, I guess. He then dismissed us for lunch. James headed off to the canteen like clockwork, as always. Sarah headed off to our room. The rest of us asked the navigation system to take us to the new common room. It appeared that we weren't the only ones had that idea.

An odd assortment of characters awaited us there. A girl with a chameleon like cat and an equally changing colouration was the most normal by far. A pack of about five dog sized mantis were excitedly gambolling around the place (a truly bizarre image I had really never hoped to encounter), buzzing in a high pitched tone. A featureless claylike humanoid moving around the room completed the complement. Nervously avoiding the insects, I decided to go and talk to the girl.

On closer inspection, she looked a couple of years younger than me, except around the eyes. I'm not sure why, but they really creeped me out. They didn't fit, somehow. Still, I had to make a start somewhere.

"Hi, I'm Keri."

"I'm Madrigal." She didn't introduce her pet who was sinuously winding its way between her legs. "So you're a member of our twin class. Care to introduce me to your classmates?" As I did the rounds, my shoulderblades itched. Someone was watching. As I turned around, I spotted a figure lurking in the corridor outside. A hairless woman, around the same age as Maria (okay, so that was only a few years older than me, but Maria managed to make it seem a lot). Madrigal caught my glance. "Let me return the favour, I'll introduce you."

On closer inspection, the older girl had a faintly iridescent skin, broken up with scales that looked almost more like tattoos. She looked me up and down, smiled.

"Greetings. I'm Siren." she purred, and held out her hand. When I took it, she gripped it a little too long, and stroked my hand as she released it. I flinched a little, and her smile widened. She made me nervous, and I think that she knew it, enjoyed it. Casting my eyes around, I caught sight of Mack, talking with the mantises. I'm not that sure who was talking faster.

"Let me introduce you to Mack," I babbled a little. She followed me as I walked quickly over in his direction. I could feel her eyes on me. Mack looked like I felt as I introduced Siren to him, a little white around the eyes. I felt a little sorry, but I knew the best way to escape a predator was to give it a more attractive meal. Siren was definitely a predator. I escaped as she gave a little grin, that said she'd catch up with me later. Only if I didn't see you first, I promised internally.

Madrigal smiled at me as I returned. Whilst she didn't say much about herself, she was more than happy to fill me in about her classmates. Siren was one of them, actually, rather than being the person that looked after them. The mantises were a hivemind called Kar-ri-am-lak-eth. Apparently, they buzzed when they were too excited to rememebr to talk in a way that we could understand. When they capered over (somehow I managed to avoid hitting them as they sniffed at me) I found they had a buzzing of another kind - magic emitted in static bursts almost continually. The clay figure was apparently called Uno. He didn't say much, but gave the impression that he was studying everything intently. The few times he spoke (not to me) he referred to himself as 'one' rather than 'I'. It should have sounded pretentious, but he managed to pull it off.

"I see you've managed to instill discipline in your students with all the skill I would expect from you," a male voice said from behind me. Turning around, I saw a pale man standing next to Maria. She had a look of suppressed anger on her face. I could sympathise, though seeing a look of suppressed anything on her was fairly rare.

*You could use this rivalry between the two of them.* The princess paused a second. *You're not going to, are you?*

*What do you think?*

I affected a look of innocence. "Hi, are you one of our new classmates? Don't worry, if anyone teases you for looking a little slow, I'll try and stop them." I smiled brightly at him.

He ground his teeth a little, then turned back to Maria. "You really have no control over your students, do you? I do wonder why they trusted you at all with them."

Having released my dig, I returned my attention to the rest of my new classmates. Huh. It really looked like my class was the normal lot. I never thought I'd think that. I sloped off, quietly. Too many new and weird people made me nervous.

Class resumed after the customary hour, with both classes in a new, larger, room. Mr Knowles was still scowling at the front - apparently we hadn't managed to lose him. The pale guy, who was introduced as Qais, managed to smoothly maneuver his way to standing at Mr Knowles' right hand side. Maria slouched at the back of the room, glowering. For once, I wasn't quite sure where it was aimed.

Mr Knowles proceeded to explain that now the basic curriculum had been covered in class, we'd be moving to power training. He mentioned that there were two types of power, personal and birthright, and that we'd be trained in the use of personal power. He pretty much ignored any questions about what birthright powers were, saying only that they would be covered in more advanced classes. Personal powers were, possibly unsurprisingly, very individual, and there was a battery of tests to try and determine what they were. For some people (he looked at Broadway) they were fairly obvious, like technomancy. For some of us, they were less obvious, and it was even possible that they hadn't awoken yet. We'd be put through the gauntlet tomorrow. The rest of day was spent detailing the basic types of personal power. Nothing particularly rang a bell, but I must admit I was kind of looking forward to tomorrow. It'd be nice to have a cool power of some kind.

Tomorrow morning rolled around. The first few tests were fairly boring. Could I tell what card the examiner was looking at? (I couldn't.) Could I tell was the result of a die roll would be? (I couldn't) And so on and so forth through the various psychic powers. I then moved on to the elemental tests. When I opened the door to the workroom, I was surprised to see Seraphina sitting there.

"Good morning, Keri. I'll be taking you through the elemental testing." She remembered my name!

"Hi!" I may have grinned a little and waved a hand at her, but then I sat down. Facing her. I wasn't sure why I felt all nervous, way more than usual, but it didn't feel too bad. Until I realised why I was here. Oh goddess. I was going to prove myself completely powerless in front of her. I was going to prove myself such a fool.

She lit a flame in front of me.

"Close your eyes. Empty your mind."

Okay, keep cool. Just concentrate.

"See if you can grasp the flame with your mind."

I concentrated. Nothing happened. I pushed. I wanted to actually be able to do something. I felt something, kind of like currents just out of reach. I was sure that this would allow me to alter the flame. Ripples went outwards as I moved forwards.

"Stop!" Even the slightest hint of disapproval was like a whiplash. I looked up at her, wondering what I'd done wrong.

"I think I was getting it."

She shook her head. "No, you were starting to use your birthright power."

I looked puzzled. "Was I? I didn't realise." Curses. Just when I thought I had found my personal power.

"Yes." She looked around. "I'm sorry, I can't really speak about this."

"Could you at least tell me how to avoid using it?" I'd guess that anything that brought waves or ripples to mind was probably to do with my birtghright power. But I wanted to make sure. After all, what if my personal power also felt like that.

"... Okay. That should be fine." She looked up again. She then went through with me what it felt like, and what signs I should look for. "Just stop if you start feeling like that." she admonished me.

"Sure." I felt embarrassed. I'd completely messed this up.

"Let's move on to the other tests, then."

She took me through tests trying to see if I had any affinity for the elements. Apart from the ripply feelings around the more fluid elements, which I hurriedly backed away from, nothing. I was yet again a power failure. As I slunk out, Seraphina laid a gentle hand on my back. It felt simultaneously nerve-inducing and nice.

"Would you be free tonight?" She asked. I just looked at her, thoughts frozen. "For a picnic outside, maybe?"

"S-sure. Um, when? Where?"

"I should be ready by around eight tonight. Shall we meet at the nearest entrance to your living area? That'd probably be simplest."  
"I guess." I actually had a pretty good idea about where many of the entrances to the Facility were, actually. "See you later?" I smiled tentatively.

She smiled back. "See you this evening."

I have to admit that I had problems not dancing a little on my way to the next set of tests.

 

In the end, I think the prospect of the picnic tonight was what kept me hanging on as I failed to display a power in test after test after test. In the end I was told that I would be attending a smattering of basic classes, but mainly attending shifting classes, which seemed to be the miscellaneous dumping bin for people they didn't know what to do with. Mack was my cohort in the ranks of the powerless, a state which didn't do either of our tempers any good. Luckily I didn't have to say anything about it - Mack ranted about the state of affairs for the both of us.

Broadway indicated that he wanted to speak to me outside.

Apparently he'd had a productive talk with Seraphina, once he'd used a jammer to make sure that they weren't being overheard by the ubiquitous bugs. I've really got to try and get him to make me one of those it could be useful. This being Broadway, he had been all about the birthright powers. He'd found out quite a bit.

There were two main sources of birthright powers, both linked to blood, called Pattern and Logrus. Seraphina and Broadway had Logrus. I, apparently, had Pattern. As he said that, I heard a woman’s voice inside my head.

“The Pattern is dying. We have to save it. We have to...” I jumped. That was just weird. Sounded a little like the Sorceress, only more like I was remembering it. I then focussed on Broadway again, who had stopped, looking a little distracted himself.

Seraphina had told Broadway that the place she came from was called the Courts of Unification. In both cases, to fully use our birthright powers, we had to be initiated into them by the appropriate group. There was also another way to travel worlds, one the general consensus seemed to think lesser, that of rituals. The Facility was aligned with neither group.

After that, I had to prepare for the picnic. I didn't know what she liked, so I grabbed a wide array of the more bland foods, figuring that she had to like at least some of it.

And then I was waiting there, breathlessly, for her to arrive. After about half an hour of almost pain inducing tension, I admitted to myself I hadn't needed to get there quite that much earlier.

I almost jumped when the door finally opened and Seraphina walked out, her crystalline body given almost a halo by the light from the hallway.

I waved. "Hi."

"Good evening. I trust you are well." I noticed she was also carrying a hamper. Ah well. "Do you know a nice spot for a meal?"

I suspected somehow that she wouldn't be up for a rooftop meal. There was a clearig near a waterfall that had enough light and didn't make me feel enclosed by trees, so I led her there. She looked around with a neutral expression, which made me worry that I'd made a mistake, before sitting down. She opened up her basket, and loosed the most amazing array of cakes, sweets and other foods that made me feel slightly nauseous even looking at them.

"I hope you like the food I've brought."

I stammered a little, before openeing up my basket with it's collection of meats, breads and cheeses. She looked a little crestfallen that I didn't seem to want any of the food she had brought, which made me want to reassure her.

"I asked around about what food you might like."

"Sorry, I guess I'm difficult to provide for. Do you want any of this food?"

"I don't eat the same kind of foods that you do." She produced a flask of clear liquid and sipped it. "If you want to ask any questions, then we can do so here, without being overheard."

"Ummm..." Broadway was much better at the metaphysical stuff than I was. "Can you tell me about where you grew up? About what it was like for you?"

She looked a little surprised. "You want to know about me?" I flushed a little. "Very well. I grew up in a place called the Courts of Unification. It is a very different place to the Facility, or probably where you grew up. Rather than discrete worlds, there are many world fragments stitched together in a patchwork. Even those without power can walk from one fragment to another if they follow the correct path. The world fragments of the Courts are ruled over by families called Houses. I belonged to one of them. I always knew I had power, unlike what I assume was true for you. I was tutored in it from an early age." She sighed, eyes fixed on some distant vista. I wanted to hug her, but didn't dare. "Life in the Courts is... political. Everything you do, or don't do, matters. The Facility approached me, offering a place where I could avoid such complications. I accepted. And so, many years later, you find me here."

*And when people come here, they magically become non-political?* The princess sounded skeptical. I repeated the question, minus the snark.

She half smiled. "I only wish. Anyone working here is *supposed* to be neutral regarding outside allegiances. The truth is somewhat less pure. Everywhere you look, a new cabal in support of one cause or another springs up." Her tone turned serious. "Beware, Keri. There are those among the staff and even the students who will try and use you."

"Anyone I should look out for particularly?"

She considered me. "Noone you've met yet. And I'd prefer that you didn't go looking for trouble."

"Me?"

She smiled. "You forget how we met."

I smiled back. "I haven't. But I was hoping that you hadn't formed such a..." I cast around for a good word.

"Accurate impression?" she asked in an arch tone. "I may mostly work in the medical wing, but I *do* deal with my fair share of students. The stories I could tell..."

"Any about Maria?" She looked blank. "Tall, skinny, dark hair. Been here nine years. Swordswoman. Blunt. Can flicker in and our of existence." I hit a key word. Her eyes lit up with recognition.

"Oh. Her." She obviosuly *did* have some stories. I awaited the gossip with anticipation. "Sorry, Keri. I probably shouldn't share that with you."

*Among other things, she thinks it might give you ideas.* The princess remarked, I ignored her.

Since I didn't seem to be getting anywhere here, I decided to change tack. "What else can you tell about the two sides?"

She didn't seem to react to the fact that I knew that there were two sides. "As I said, politics was never my interest. But as far as I knew, the other bloodline were far fewer in number than mine." She sighed. "There are also problems between the two bloodlines. Hostilities. Sometimes cold - we either ignored each other, or even had diplomatic relations. Sometimes hot. Open war. For most of my life, we've been at war. One of the reasons that I came here was to get away from that."

*How many people know about this place?* The princess asked. *It doesn't seem likely that a place like this would be just left alone.*

"Um, how many people know about this place?"

"Not many. The rulers on each side. Probably a few others. As I said, I was recruited."

*Huh.* The princess didn't seem inclined to elaborate.

"Tell me about where you came from, Keri."

It was my turn to look into the distance. I didn't want to think about the place where I came from. Or about where I had left Kieran and Lindsey. It still hurt, for different reasons.

"I grew up on a fairly high tech world, I guess. Not super tech, but not bad either." I paused for a second, then swallowed. "A couple of years ago, they came. If they had a name, I never found our what it was. They wore people like suits, most people as far as I could tell. Too many for any resistance. And then they killed most of them off, like a kid losing interest in his toys. They still stuck around though. I was never really sure why. I just hid and survived as best I could, alone. A few months ago, I started slipping through worlds. I managed to find one where nothing particularly bad had happened, where my parents were still alive and managed to figure out how to stay there." I looked at my feet. I wasn’t going to cry. "Then I was kidnapped by the Facility without a word or warning. So here I am."

After waiting a few seconds to see if I’d say anything else, she said "I see," in a neutral voice. I risked a peek to see her just looking at me with an odd expression on her face.

"Is there any chance that it was me? That I caused them to come to my world?" I had to know whether or not it was my fault.

"Without knowing more about the world, I can’t say. It’s possible they were natural to your world. It’s also possible that they were drawn to your presence."

I thought a minute. That wasn’t really what I wanted to hear but... "If they were drawn to my presence, wouldn’t they have come after me more? They did chase me a couple of times, but no more than anyone else."

She considered. "That’s true."

"What about my powers? Could they have resulted in that? Unconsciously?"

She considered. “I think it unlikely. You didn’t have a wish for global annihilation?”

“No, nothing like that. I was just watching TV.”

“I can’t say for sure what caused it without examining the world myself, but based on what you’ve told me, it probably wasn’t your fault.”

Well, I could wish that she was more reassuring, but it was still a weight off my mind. Something else occurred to me.

“The fixers – the staff with spiderweb tattoos – how old are they when they get their tattoo?”

“Somewhat older than you. Usually a decade or so at least. Why?”

“I thought I heard about one who was around my age.” Could it just be a coincidence that the sorceress had a spiderweb tattoo? She was characteristically quiet on the matter.

“I haven’t heard of one, but I’ll check.”

“So, what do you do apart from tending to out of control kids?” I smiled. “And answer their questions.”

Given half a chance, she opened up about her research. All way, way above my head, but she clearly enjoyed speaking about it. I resolved to hit the library a little more so I could actually listen halfway intelligently. By the time she had slowed down about her latest theories, it was gone midnight, and she escorted me indoors.

 

Classes were now tuition on a melange of different powers. Since I didn’t actually *have* any of these powers, it was all theory and, as such, made me want to curl up and go to sleep. It didn’t even seem to have anything to do with what Seraphina had told me. Out of classes, I had taken to visiting the library in short bursts, usually after consulting Broadway as to which books were worthwhile summaries, scuttling in, grabbing my prey then escaping hopefully before having to come into too much contact with the librarians. They still freaked me out a little. When I was bored of reading, I took to the rooftops, exploring them and occasionally entering the Facility where I could.

Seraphina sent me a message asking me out to lunch a couple of days later. When I got there, she had an odd expression on her face.

“There was only one fixer of around your age that I could find in the records.” She pushed a photograph towards me. The girl could be my sister – maybe a couple of years older. “This was sixty years ago. As far as I am aware, she wasn’t here when I started. The only records I have access to, medical, don’t mention where she is now, or what happened to her.” She looked at me. “Did you know about this?”

My mind was awhirl. Was this the sorceress? Was she actually real? And then it was calm. This was interesting, but hardly important. A matter of curiosity, no more. “No, not really. Just a rumour going around. I can’t remember exactly what it was. Thanks!” I smiled at Seraphina’s face, gently glinting in the sunlight.

“There must be some connection,” she muttered to herself. “If I find anything else out, would you mind if I asked you some more questions?”

“No, please do. I’d love to hear anything you discover.”

I think I managed to impress her in the rest of the lunch by asking some halfway intelligent questions about her work. I hoped that they were intelligent, anyway. She was certainly polite about them. I had managed to make a fool of myself, hadn’t I?

 

The weekend rolled around and it was time to check the recording devices. Sure enough, some places were being used, just not on the weekend. Who would have thought? I picked the most deserted looking of the rest, and guided Broadway there using the route that I thought was the easiest to remember and use. (In that order.) He seemed to be happy with it, and immediately started ripping out electronics and power cables and generally making himself at home. I left him to it, especially as he didn’t really seem able to explain *why* he was doing what he doing, only that it was ‘right.’ That combined with the harsh buzz around him convinced me that I couldn’t be any help, so I spent most of the weekend exploring and reading. Somehow during the last week, I had had the bright idea of volunteering at the clinic Seraphina worked at, and I was starting there after school next week. I guess I’d see her a little more. Which wasn’t really why I had volunteered. Sigh.

 

At the beginning of the next week, Jenny returned to our class. (Though Aleks didn’t.) She seemed back to her usual ditzy self, though her tattoos now had extra designs and bars added. She was placed into the nature power classes, which were apparently different to the elemental classes. I wasn’t sure why.

The next week continued pretty much on that vein. Broadway spent every free waking moment in the library or in the workshop. I managed to slowly absorb enough information from the library (with the help of Broadway and especially Seraphina – did I mention that she made all this complicated theory easy to concentrate on?) that I could at least understand the gist of what she was telling me, even if the fine details flew way, way above my head. But she didn’t seem to mind. The clinic was interesting, though many of the patients really wanted to make me twitch and run, especially when I had to gently wash oozing skin.

Special combat training also started, under the good Captain Trelawney. Madrigal was also in this class. Trelawney seemed determined to try and get me to stop viewing fights as something purely to escape from. (Though apparently Madrigal had no such compunctions.) A couple of times, he managed to jar me enough that the assassin reacted before I could rein her in. Once (the first time) she even managed to stick him with a dagger. He called time and seemed to be pleased that I had been aggressive enough to injure him, but a touch frustrated when that didn’t do anything to change my general style. He didn’t show any sign that he was going to let me off them, though.

 

The weekend rolled around and I was off exploring (fleeing the books) when I entered an old and dusty part of the Facility. My first sign of trouble was a sound like shattering glass, magic. I saw a figure clad all in white, gently luminous, ahead. She stumbled and fell. I ran forward. It was a girl in a hooded robe. As I bent down, she pulled the hood down further over her face so I could see nothing.

“Hello?”

“Have you been sent by the goddess?”

I paused. I hadn’t heard anyone refer to her since I had arrived here. “No, I don’t think so.”

She clutched my tunic with a thin, almost skeletal hand. “You’ve got to get out of here. It’s coming.”

“’It’?”

“The hungry dark. It’s following me. If you leave here now, without me, you should be able to escape.”

A sound like a thousand mouths chewing reverberated through the corridor. Magic again. I had a sinking feeling. “I’m not leaving you behind.” I’d had enough people die. Before she could protest too much, I tossed her over a shoulder and ran.

Around me the light started fading. The chewing sound grew louder as all other sounds faded. I made it outside. The sunlight failed to dispel the darkness. The sounds of the forest were muted, hidden beneath the sound of chewing.

“Can you do anything to throw it off?” I asked her.

“I can pray,” she answered.

“It can only help.”

She started chanting. Definitely not your average worshipper, unless her world was way different to mine.

*Can you help shield me?* I asked the sorceress.

*Will you give me permission to use your powers?*

*YES!* I may have snapped a little, but this way over my freak factor.

I’m not entirely certain, but the woman over my shoulder may have started to glow slightly. In any case, the sorceress’ power flooded out in a gentle hum, dampening the chewing. The area around me grew lighter, then lighter still as I outdistanced the source of the darkness.

When I was certain that it was gone, I lowered the girl to the ground and located the nearest entrance to the Facility and activated the communications panel.

“Security?”

“Yes?”

“There was something a bit north of this panel. Darkness, chewing. Maybe something breaking in.”

“We’re already aware of an incursion in that location. Can you go through exactly what you saw?”

They took me through what happened a couple of times. I conveniently left the woman I had found out, and they didn’t question me about her. Doubtless that would happen later. I just didn’t trust them not to make her disappear. I’m not sure that they’d want anyone who managed to just find their way here wandering around.

I took her into the forest, somewhere a little ways away, and flipped open my communicator. Broadway had gimmicked it so we could use it without being traced. He had warned me that they could probably still monitor any messages that we put out over the network, though.

“Heya, Broadway.”

“Keri.”

“Found something you might be interested in, out by the old clearing.” A meeting place we had set up previously. I wasn’t there yet, but I could make my way there by the time he made out there from the new workshop, even with a bit of a break.

I found the girl leaning against a tree.

“Hi, I’m Keri. At least now, we have time to get acquainted.”

“My name is Evelin.”

“What *was* that thing?”

“I don’t know. It came after the goddess led me here.”

“How did you get here?”

“I was in a cell, and the goddess appeared, and told me how I could free myself.”

“Well, you’ve got to be really careful. You must have travelled between worlds. If the staff here find you, they’ll make you stay here. You can’t do it again.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be performing the ritual again.” A trickle of blood stained the neck of her robe.

“Let me have a look at you.” She flinched away, but not nearly quickly enough. Her eyes were bloody messes. Oh goddess.

“Power demands a sacrifice,” she said in a too calm tone just before fainting.

 

Broadway arrived and took a look at her. He asked the same questions. Apparently, her goddess was called Athena – something I hadn’t thought to ask. He took me aside.

“I can’t treat her. She needs help.”

“We could call Seraphina.” I’m sure she’d help, and she could try and keep Evelin safe. Though I was worried that it’d make trouble for her. But I thought I was what she would want.

Broadway nodded. “I’ll stay here.” And I was gone.

Seraphina hurried to the entrance after I asked her to come there on an emergency. I took her out to the clearing. Evelin and Broadway were still there. She examined Evelin, and I told her the whole story.

“I can treat her, but I’ll have to take her to the medical wing.”

“Are you sure she’ll be safe?”

She considered. “She should be. If she has power, she’ll join the school, but mostly likely case, from what you told me, is that she just knows a ritual and she’ll be taken back home. Assuming they can find it. They’ll want to know how she got here, though. It’s hard to get to this world accidentally.”

“You think Athena brought her here deliberately?” Seraphina nodded. “Do you know who she is?”

Seraphina shook her head. “But doubtless there will be questions.” She sighed. “Keri, would you help me with her?”

I smiled at her. “Of course”.

And after that, it was just another afternoon at the clinic.


	7. Chapter 7

_I stepped through veil after veil, the worlds morphing around me. Always alien though - I was deep in enemy territory. The hunters were always with me, though, the equivalent of hounds baying at my heels. I'd been betrayed, but I would have my revenge._

_Whispers started up again, in the back of my head. I had to ignore them, pretend I wasn't there, so they wouldn't..._

 

I woke up. In my bed, for once. Sarah was gently snoring across the room from me. I grasped at the remnants of my dream. It felt like it should mean something, like there was more to it, but it faded like dew in the sun. I looked at the time. It was close enough to the time that I'd have to get up anyway that I decided to rise a little early and get some exercise on the rooftops before classes.

Just losing myself in moving as quickly as I could helped dispel the shadows of the night, and the lasting sensation that I was being hunted, so I was actually in a fairly good mood when I followed the navigation to whereever my first class was going to be today. Somewhat to my surprise, everyone in my (now extended) class was there to, as was Mr Knowles. Qais was standing to right, Maria to his right. Behind this little cluster were four boxes. I eyed Qais suspiciously. I couldn't prove anything, but it seemed awfully coincidental that over the past week he had handed Jenny an assignment which involved fire and Broadway one which involved extended physical activity. He had handed me one that involved an assignment handling the Hunters. Ugh. When asked (by me) he had claimed that theswe assignment teaching us flexibility, but none of his class were handed such challenging assignments. I was going to have my revenge, especially for Jenny, but I hadn't figured out how yet.

Mr Knowles cleared his throat. "Your task today is to get into one of these boxes and retrieve what's inside. Without damaging the box or the contents. Divide yourselves up into four groups, and I'll assign you a box. You can work on this here or elsewhere. You cannot take it outside this complex, though."

Qais smirked at Maria. "I hope you all do better than Maria. The only thing she was good for was being locked up inside one of those boxes." Maria glowered back at him.

"If we complete this assignment, can we leave Qais in one?" I asked hopefully. Mr Knowles grinned, but didn't reply.

People started milling around and talking. The hunt for the perfect group was on. Thinking quickly, I grabbed Broadway. This sounded like something he'd be good at. Sarah approached us.

"Could I join your group?"

"Sure," I said. "I guess that makes our group." I headed towards Mr Knowles. "Box, please." He pointed a clawed finger at one of them. Like the rest of them, it was covered in symbols. After listening to it to try and see if picking it up wouldn't set anything off, I hoisted it up and set it down at the feet of the rest of the group.

Broadway started examining it. I decided to just wait, and focussed internally. I was supposed to be helping Seraphina at the clinic this afternoon, so I wanted this exercise out of the way. I think she'd disapprove if I helped at the clinic with schoolwork still undone.

"Keri." I blinked. Broadway was talking to me. "You've seen a lot of different people, working in the infirmary. I think these symbols might be tattoo symbols. Can you identify more of them?"

I looked at them. Sure enough, I recognised some of them. *Hey* I asked the sorceress *Do you recognise any more of these?*

*Some of them, yes.* She started pointing them out.

 

_I was standing on a lighted stage. A tall albino man with no tattoos faced me, talking. Hundreds of dimly lit faces watched me. This was it. I was graduating._

_I was in a brightly lit room. The medlab. A man was standing over me, magic coursing around him as he inscribed the cobweb sigil on my cheek._

Blinking I was back in the room. By the looks of it, I had been away a few minutes. I vaguely remembered the names and meanings of the sigils the sorceress had pointed out. That had never happened before. I resolved never to let the assassin do that. Who knows what she'd do without my supervision?

Broadway settled down almost into a trance to examine the box. About ten minutes later he stirred and stretched. "Fancy going out for a walk to clear our heads?" I shrugged and nodded.

 

Outside, as I expected, Broadway started expounding on the insights he had gained from examining the chest. He was really very shy about letting anyone know he could do much of anything. It boiled down to that there was a combination of runes to open the chest that would take some time to discover. There was also a hidden short cut, where a particular person - he guessed Mr Knowles - could simply channel power into the box to open it.

"But I don't want to ask him to do that because then he'll know that I found it." he concluded.

*There are recording enchantments in the box. They'll have recorded what he has already sensed.* the sorceress observed.

*Why didn't you tell me that before?*

I felt the shrug. *It didn't seem relevant. You didn't ask.*

*Thanks.*

"Um, Broadway. I think they might have had recording enchantments in the box. So they probably already know that you found the hidden path."

He gave me a sharp look. "How did you know?"

*Meaning 'How did you figure that out if I didn't?'* the princess helpfully added.

Sometimes I really hate the others.

"I think it was something that Seraphina mentioned." I improvised. I felt a flash of joy as I thought about her. When I focussed on Broadway, he had obviously given up hope of a more detailed answer.

"I don't know. I don't want to let them know how good I am?" See what I mean? I just wanted to learn, to be the best I could be. And that would be difficult if I never let the teachers know what I could do. Given my lack of a personal power, I was handicapped (and teased) enough without that already. The princess tended to sympathise with Broadway's point of view, but then I think she probably would just to be contrary.

"Yeah, but they'll already know that you can do this." I pointed out. "Besides, since you're always talking about how much you want to learn. You can learn a lot quicker if you don't pretend that you don't understand what the teachers are saying."

He considered. "You might be right. Certainly about the box."

"Why don't you just hide your ability to hide your traces? Then you can learn everything apart from that, and they'll just think that you are brilliant but loud."

*Have you actually being paying attention to what I've been trying to teach you?* the princess demanded. I did the mental equivalent of sticking my tongue out at her.

"I'll consider it. In the meantime, let's go and open that box."

 

Inside was an unwelcome surprise. Aleks had made it back to classes, and Mr Knowles had decided that she could join our group.

"You can't just burn it open," I said.

"I know," she groused.

"Mr Knowles," Broadway approached the teacher "Could you help us a minute?"

"What do you want me to do?" he approached, a slight smile on his face.

"Could you rest your hand here," Broadway indicated, "and channel energy into the box."

"I tried asking him to open it." Aleks said.

"But you didn't tell me what you wanted me to do." Mr Knowles replied. He did what Broadway asked. The chest revealed a sheaf of papers. "That's your next homework assignment."

We all groaned. Just because I'm cautious, I listened for any other magic on the paper. I heard the crackle of flames.

"I think this is enchanted to burst into flames if we take it out of the box." I looked torn. "I don't suppose we could fluff this part of the assignment?"

"That won't get you out of it, Flinch." Curses. Apparently Mr Knowles had heard my new nickname, courtesy of Madrigal.

"I guess."

"Aleks, think you could damp flames?" Broadway asked.

Aleks looked taken aback. "I... don't know. I've never tried." Of course she hadn't. "Certainly not on a flame I hadn't started. I don't think I could. Maybe if I set them on fire first..."

"No!" I interjected.

Broadway looked thoughful. "Sarah, can you she if it's possible that she could damp flames?"

Sarah, rather left out of the proceedings so far, blinked and concentrated. "Um... it's certainly within the possible futures. So it's possible."

"You just need practice." Broadway mused. "Let's go off to the workshop."

We reconvened there shortly. Broadway set a couple of things on fire conventionally, and Aleks proceeded to try and put them out. The first few times, it didn't work so well, but the third time Aleks triumphantly held up a very scorched tiny square of paper. I sighed. I hoped that she could improve her success rate.

Finally, she managed to put out flames as soon as they appeared and then we were ready. We reconvened back at the box, and Sarah gave a countdown to when the flamewards would activate as Aleks reached inside the box for the papers. There was a brief flare of flames as she withdrew her hand, but they just rolled off the homework assignment. Unfortunately.

There were enough copies of the assignment for all of us (and a few spare). I flicked through it. There were two parts. The first thing was a list of books we were supposed to read and prove that we had understood. Luckily, I had already read these books at Seraphina's suggestion. The second part would be harder. I had to emulate three abilities of my classmates.

"Um, Mr Knowles. I'm going to have a problem with this assignment."

"What's up, Flinch?"

"I don't *have* any powers. To emulate anyone else's."

"In which case, choose one of your classmates and think how their abilities could be used to emulate those of your classmates."

"Cool! In which case I choose Broadway. He can make a flamethrower to emulate Aleks. He doesn't even have to create an object to emulate mine. And he can create a mechanical obects of some kind to emulate Clank's abilities."

Mr Knowles raised an eyebrow at my list. "Interesting arguement, but I guess it fits under the mental flexibility clause."

"I use her examples." Broadway interjected quickly. Mr Knowles sighed, but nodded.

"What can I do with my abilities?" Sarah asked.

"Um, what about using your foresight to see what actions might attract someone? Like Siren." I suggested.

"And find out what course of events would lead to something catching on fire," Broadway added.

"What about working how a machine works like Broadway can?"

Mr Knowles nodded. "That's be your three."

"I can't think of anything I can do with my powers," Aleks said

"You can emit flames like a flamethrower Broadway could make," I suggested.

"Put flames out like a fire extinguisher Clank could make," from Broadway's direction.

"What else?" Aleks looked a little perplexed. We went through the abilities of our new classmates in order.

"Um, I could make very little flames over my hair, and change the colour of them, I guess," when we came to Madrigal's abilities to change herself, hair colour being a particular favourite.

"You just have the booklist to finish. You'll have the rest of the week off after that."

Excellent. No work for the rest of the week.

 

I spent some of the time helping out at the clinic, and the rest out exploring. I continued to try and find out what kind of places there were on the surface by looking in windows where I couldn't access directly. By luck, I stumbled across some of the older students' dormitory, including Qais'. Interesting.

 

The next week, we were back at normal lessons, special combat training included. Aleks was joining us for them. She was definitely one of the better ones, almost as good as me. She seemed very frustrated that she wasn't being allowed to use her flame abilities in combat yet. Maria was usually with us, and seemed to take a distinct delight in troucing Aleks, though Aleks seemed equally intent on insulting her whenever possible.

I left them to it. Trelawney continued trying to press me to being more aggressive in combat. I continued to resist, but got very adept at thinking in three dimensions to avoid combat. Other lessons progressed pretty much as expected. Evelin had seemingly disappeared. Seraphina told me that she had been removed to be looked after and questioned. She tried to assure me that Evelin would be fine, but I still worried. A few weeks passed, and a plan I had on the back burner came to fruition.

 

Qais had continued to be a shit. He really wasn't pleased that we had been the first group to complete the assignment. He felt that it reflected badly on him. That week, after I had discovered his quarters, I had killed a rat with a stone I had only just picked up with a gloved hand. I had then picked the rat up and hidden it and burned the glove.

A couple of weeks later, when the rat was nice and ripe, just before the time Qais got up in the morning (he was very punctual, about everything) I retrieved the rat (now very ripe) with a fresh glove and snuck over to his room. There was the sound of the shower from the next room, as always at this time, and his clothes were spread out neatly on the bed. The window was also conveniently open - he always kept it that way. I guessed because he was an air elemental.

I flung the rat through the open window onto his clothes and it splattered with enough force to coat quite a bit of the room, including his shoes. I then ran across the rooftops, pausing only to drop the gloves down a chimney into an open fire, and headed to my rooms. Sarah was already up and out for breakfast. I quickly changed. It'd be interesting to see what the always immaculate and punctual Qais would do


	8. Chapter 8

When Qais arrived, he was neat and well presented as always. He was, however, rather late and a hum of active magic emanated from his direction almost as strongly as I guessed the stench would have otherwise done. Slighty narrowed eyes marred his usually equitable manner. When Maria made a sarcastic comment about his lateness, he rounded on her and almost blew up. She took advantage this, and continued needling him until Mr Knowles stepped in and very firmly started class. Qais kept on giving Maria savage looks. It was obvious he was unused to being the butt, rather than, say, the instigator, of a practical joke. Mission, phase 1, accomplished.

The next morning I awoke to the sound of someone trying to throw up quietly in our bathroom. Having absolutely no bones about my curiosity, I poked my head in and saw Sarah knelt over the toilet. (To be honest, I'd been rather worried if it were anyone else, given noone else has access to our room.)

"What's wrong?"

"I'm... just feeling a little unwell." she replied weakly.

"Well, let's get you down the clinic." Noone was ever unwell here. Well, apart from Mack after he'd managed to find someone's alcohol stash. But I'm not sure that really counted.

She looked scared. "No, I can't. I can't let anyone know."

"Yes, you can. I work down there. I can sneak you in by saying that I'm showing you around. I know someone who'll see you on the quiet."

"Really? You trust them?"

"Yes." I wasn't going to back down. "We'll go after lessons." Sarah looked like she wanted to argue, but was helpless against Juggernaut Keri.

"I'll need to consult a specialist," Seraphina said after studying Sarah for a few minutes. Sarah was a little wide eyed, but Seraphina bustled straight on. She was so efficient. "I think she's poisoned."

Bwuh?

"Poisoned?" Sarah and I asked in unison.

"Yes. Let's get you into a bed where we can monitor you." Sarah was led into a room and I was ushered outside, where I paced for a while. About half an hour later, a man (loosely speaking) arrived and went into the room. A while later he emerged and talked to Seraphina. She then came over to me.

"I just need to run a few tests on you." A few minutes later. "You've been affected too. But don't worry - it's not at a dangerous level."

"What *is* it?" I asked, trying not to panic about being poisoned, even it was supposedly safe.

"Something called Ilairis root." She wrinkled her nose - really odd to see on a crystalline face. "I'm not familiar with it myself. Hence the specialist. Apparently it's most effective if ingested, though it can also be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, given the sorrect preparations. I take it you've seen nothing like that around?"

"No! Do you have anything that could detect it?"

She paused a second, considering. "Wait here a minute." And she disappeared off to find the specialist. She returned a few minutes later with a spray bottle. "This chemical bonds to it, and should turn purple in its presence."

I smiled at her. "Thanks!" I didn't quite give in to the impulse to hug her, but took the spray bottle and disappeared off.

On the way back to my room, I asked the sorceress if she knew anything about Ilairis root.

She paused for a second. *It has a long and complicated history. Check the metaphysics section."

I asked her to be slightly less cryptic, but her presence just faded.

I called Broadway and told him what had happened, and asked him to check up on Ilairis root in the metaphysics section on the way over. He agreed, but asked me to bring the detection agent over first, so he could work on his own device to detect the poison, completely ignoring the fact that we already had a way of detecting it. Boys and their toys. We met up in the library, then I headed off again.

I went to the rooms Sarah and I shared and started misting. My room turned a light purple. Yech.

Particular hotspots were her pillow, her toothbrush and other toothpaste. I was so throwing out everything that wasn't a memento first chance I got. Someone had obviously been in here. 

There was a knock at the door. The assassin tensed just in case, but it was only Broadway. He told me that according to his texts Ilairis flower was sometimes used as an aid to prophecy-like powers, but that it tended to make them less controllable. Maybe the root was also related to prophecy powers.

I asked him to take a look at the log of our electronic lock and see if there had been any odd accesses. He hummed for a few minutes, tinkering, before telling me that there had been a blank access three weeks ago.

"Blank access?" I inquired.

"No ID code attached."

"Let's follow this trail, see where it leads." I bounced out the door.

We followed the blank door accesses all the way to a door which led out of our complex. Broadway had just enough time to check the blank accesses and find out there had been several such accesses before the door opened and several serious looking adults trooped out, cobweb tattoos amongst them. The investigation team had arrived.

An unsmiling man looked at me. "What are you doing?"

I shrugged. "Looking around."

"Well, then, please get out of our way."

We did. They trooped off in the direction of our rooms. Broadway then informed me that the various accesses had all been during classtime, when we would have been nowhere around. Going through schedules, we could eliminate all but a handful of teachers from our suspect list. Assuming, of course, that this was just one person. But why bother complicating things when it was entirely likely that it was someone outside of our tight little circle of acquaintances?

"Let's check the common room," Broadway suggested. "They could have done something to her food or stuff there."

Oh ick. I mean, I ate some pretty bad stuff on the streets, but weird poison stuff? That I didn't need. Thanks, Broadway.

On the way there Broadway staggered and almost fell over. I steadied him and asked him what was wrong. He was fairly evasive, but called Seraphina.

"Seraphina here." Her normally crystal clear voice was dulled. "We're a little busy just now."

"Broadway. Did you just feel something?"

"Yes. You too?"

"I think it has something to do with the Logrus."

"That.. would fit. We're getting calls from all over campus. You're capable of calling. You're obviously doing better than others. Unless there's something vital, I'll talk to you later."

"Later then."

So, something was wrong. I hadn't felt anything, which was good, I guessed. I was worrying about Seraphina, but she probably didn't need me underfoot at the moment, and she was in the right place anyway, so I decided to concentrate on what I could do. Investigate this.

When we arrived in the common room, there was a small crowd around a fallen figure. Apparently, Siren had also fallen prey to whatever had happened to the people connected to Logrus. I checked her over with my (very) basic first aid. She was breathing and conscious, albeit complaining. Having been taught just enough to know my limits, I backed off and went to help Broadway at the kitchen counter.

Sarah's utensils were bright purple. Broadway took one, ran it under the tap and tested it again. Still as bright purple as ever.

"Thought so," he grunted. "I think it's enchanted to replace any poison removed. Very subtle though. If I had I hadn't thought to really check, I wouldn't have spotted it."

“Do you think that the investigation team might appreciate us giving us to them?” I probably shouldn’t taunt them this way…

“Sure.” I almost missed Broadway hiding Sarah’s knife around his person as we went off to hand her fork to them. They looked at us suspiciously before asking us to leave and not disturb their investigation. They said something about wanting to talk to us later. We decided it was time to continue our investigation elsewhere.

Broadway examined the knife in our private hideaway. He managed to get an aura read - apparently it was quite hard because parts of the aura were smudged or missing. It made it look like the random noise you got off any object. He was quite impressed with himself that he got anything at all. He was fairly sure he'd recognise the aura if he saw it again. I, on the other hand, didn't get any sound off it apart from the sussurus of Sarah.

A suspicion gently nagged at me. "You think that you'll recognise this guy's aura if you see it again?"

"Should do. I think there'll be blurry spots if you look hard enough. I'm pretty good at looking."

"Let's go to the clinic. Seraphina had to call in a specialist. What if he were the one who did this? It'd be easy for him to complete the job, and no one would know."

Broadway rolled his eyes at little at my paranoia, but acquiesced.

"By the way. I had a vision earlier, when the Logrus fluctuation occurred. I heard someone say something about the line of Ilairis, like they were tlaking about possibly eliminating it."

"Well that reassuring. Was it anyone we know?"

"No. It could be unrelated, though."

"Yeah, sure."

I let myself and Broadway into the clinic, easy enough because I worked there. The specialist was still pottering around. Seraphina was as hardworking as always, rushing around, treating people. I stood there for a few minutes, just watching her, until she was between patients temporarily, before attracting her attention, then cast a significant glance at Sarah's room. She nodded, indicating that it was fine for us to head in.

Sarah was just stirring as we entered. She looked paler than when I had left her. I worried. Broadway let out a hum of power, analysing traces in the room.

"Don't worry, the specialist doesn't have the same aura," he murmured.

Sarah opened her eyes and looked around, then focussed on us.

"Keri, Broadway. It's nice to see you." She looked a little out of it.

"Nice to see you too. How are you feeling?"

"Awful." She made a face. "But relieved."

"Relieved?"

"I thought that my power was fluxing out of control. Like Jenny."

"Instead you were just being poisoned by someone."

"Yes. It's still better, though."

I thought for a minute. "I guess."

"I had a vision. You", she pointed at me, "killed him," pointing at Broadway. "Though you didn't look like you."

"Okay. We'll try and avoid doing that, then." Maybe she meant trouble between our families. Wasn't there supposed to be a war between them?

"Did you feel the problem with the Logrus earlier?" Broadway asked.

She looked puzzled for a second. "Oh, that. I thought it was a flareup of my power at first, until Seraphina came to check on me."

"Apparently Ilairis flower strengthens the gift of prophecy. Have you been experiencing anything like this?" Broadway asked.

"Yes." She sat back a little, remembering. "It's why I thought that I was losing control of my powers. Normally I have to concentrate to see something. Then I started getting random visions." She looked over at me. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I just hoped if I said nothing it'd go away."

I tried to joke. "You should have seen that one coming." She stuck her tongue out at me, a victory for our relationship, I felt. She was always so reserved. Either that or she was more ill than she was letting on, but I didn't want to think about that.

"These visions, do you think they might have shown who was behind this?" Broadway asked.

She concentrated. "I don't think so. I can only remember a few clearly. The first one I remember started with a pain in my head, so intense that it bled over into the vision. Or, maybe it was already part of the vision. I'm not sure. There was a voice; a woman's voice. It sounded a little like my mother, but older. "They're coming for us." The words were spoken like she was trying to be calm, but failing. You could hear the fear if you listened closely "You have to go." A second voice; male. "What about you?" The first voice. I became aware of some other things.. Someone -- the woman? -- was holding me close. "You know I can't." "But..." Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by distant shouting. There was a sudden loud noise, and then the world was shaking around her. Distantly I heard a voice, the man say: "Go now, before it's too late." And then it faded to black."

"Huh." It didn't sound immediately applicable. "You don't think this might be a memory?"

"I don't think so. I don't remember anything like this. And I was older when I last saw my mother. She didn't seem that old."

"You said that you remembered a few visions. What are the others?"

"Just the words of one, really. The circle began. The circle is broken. The circle is reborn. All ends in blood and fire."

"Fire, eh? Sounds like it could be all Aleks's fault." Broadway joked.

"The ones who made her." Sarah's tone had changed. She was staring glassy eyed into the distance. Alerts from machines monitoring her chirruped. "The ones who would destroy us all."

The specialist and nurses rushed over to Sarah and ushered us out, closing the door behind us.

Broadway spent a long time teching out with a computer before telling me anything. Apparently someone had accessed Sarah’s file about a month ago, but had blanked his ID nonmagically rather than using technomancy. (Which meant that he couldn’t get a aura-read off it.) Unfortunately, in order to find out who had accessed the file, he’d need proper access to the system. This would probably mean physical access to server. Joy. Luckily, he knew someone who might be able to help – a girl called Jinx.

We met up outside, usual procedure for evading the listening devices inside. She was a short, slender humanoid with metallic blue skin, silvery hair and yellow pupil-less eyes. Kind of normal looking for the greater school population.

“Who’s she?” she nodded in my direction. Broadway made the appropriate introductions. Apparently the etiquette lessons were taking. Who would have thought?

“That’s all very nice, but what do you want? I’d guess you didn’t ask me out here for the scenery.”

Broadway used a lot of techie speech that basically boiled down to the fact that we needed access to the intranet servers.

Jinx rubbed her lip thoughtfully. “It’s not going to be easy. I’ve in the department occasionally – they use me to destruction test security procedures. I’m very good at destruction testing.” She grinned, and my hairs stood on end. I resolved not to bring anything I actually wanted to keep working near her. “The good news is that you want isn’t in the ultra high security servers, which even I haven’t managed to get into yet, despite many attempts. The bad news is that security around the department is still very tight. I don’t think even I could get in undetected. And, no offense, but from what I’ve seen, you’re not in my league yet.”

I ruminated for a few minutes. “What about… if you breach the security around the department and head for the ultra secure area, and I follow in behind you and head for the intranet servers? I’m fairly good at sneaking, and I’d guess security inside the department isn’t as tight. Would that work?”

Jinx considered. “Should do. As long as you’re half way competent. Of course, you’re asking me to take most of the risk here.”

“It’s something you’d like to do anyway,” I pointed out.

“True, but you’re still going to owe me a favour. I’ll call in your help during one of *my* escapades.”

From what little I had gathered of her personality, the prospect of what her escapades might entail daunted me more than a little, but.. “Sure.”

“It’s a deal then. Meet you here,” she indicated a spot deep inside the Facility’s bowels ”in an hour. I need to go prepare. I love having little surprises for security.”

We met near a very secure looking steel door. Broadway handed me a small device kind of like a six legged spider.

“Place this on the servers. It should allow me remote access.”

Jinx was in fine form. “Are you ready? Excellent.” She strode over to the door. “This door is a little out of the way, so you should have half a minute before security arrives. They should be chasing me, but I wouldn't count on it.” Sparks and smoke arose from the door, and it shuddered open. “Go!” She ran inside.

I sprinted after her, splitting up. She had given me a map of the inside of the computer department, and where the intranet servers were, last she knew. After clearing the immediate area and hiding inside a toilet whilst the thump of security boots faded, I sidled further into the complex. I think Jinx must have set off fire alarms or something, since almost everyone seemed to have trooped out. Drawing upon the assassin’s skills, not to mention my own, I managed to evade everyone who was still around. Even if it meant that I had to crawl inside some ducts at a couple of points. My clothes were going to need a clean after this.

Finally, I was at the intranet server room. Naturally, there was someone inside. From his tattoo, he seemed to be a student, and was furious accessing the servers, doing who knew what. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t really have time or inclination for a chat. When he wasn’t touching a computer, I shot him with my tesla gun. He went rigid, then slumped to the ground. After searching him, I shoved him inside a crate and made sure that I left the lid open so he could breathe. The only thing of interest he had was a card that most definitely wasn’t a standard student one. I pocketed it for Broadway to examine later. I attached the spider and contacted Broadway. He then proceeded to delve into the servers. I hid, since I figured he’d be some time.

“Apparently that guy you stunned was looking at teacher records,” he noted.

“Huh.”

A while later. “I’ve managed to track who made those queries. He’s an archivist.”

Something had been nagging at me for a while. Finally I managed to figure out what it was.

“Can you check to see when and where the ID erasure took place?”

“Presumably at the same time the queries were made. Why?”

I struggled to articulate my reason. “Why would you leave the query if you could just erase it? It’s almost like someone is leaving a trail on purpose.”

There was a pause from the other end, then some typing. “Oh. The ID cleaning took place a week or so later, and from various computers in the computer department.”

I looked around. The place was still empty. It looked like most people had taken the opportunity for an early afternoon. I consulted the map Jinx had given us. “Can you go around to here,” I described an entrance. “It’s fairly dead around here at the moment. I think I could sneak you in, so you could look at the computers and try and get an aura read about who has used them all.”

“Let’s do it.”

Broadway wasn’t bad at sneaking – he had apparently also grown up in a post apocalyptic wasteland – even if he wasn’t in my class. I managed to easily shepherd him around the department avoiding anyone who was left. He had a look at the card I had lifted.

“It looks like a high access card that leaves a fake ID.”

“Like the one someone used to access my rooms?”

“Kind of, but not the same. We don’t have that guy, unfortunately.”

He bobbed between computers.

“I think I’ve got a print. It’s broken, like the one from Sarah’s cutlery. Not quite the same, though. Definitely same kind of thing, though. Whoever did this would have to be able to be anywhere in the department without drawing questions from anyone else.”

“A janitor maybe?”

He looked at me. “I was thinking computer maintenance. Janitors don’t tend to use the computers.”

I felt stupid. “Shall we go look at the computer maintenance people? Jinx has the department marked on the map as her favourite prey.”

We stole in the back. There were a few people in there, sitting around talking. It was obviously a hard life in maintenance, though I guess we might have made it easier by clearing everyone else out. Unfortunately Broadway couldn’t just ping them to see if one of them was the guy we were looking for – people tend to notice their aura being probed. It tickles. We’d have to be slightly more cunning.

I waved Broadway back, and slunk into some convenient shadows to observe. After a while, one of them made his goodbyes, and presumably left to go home. I followed him, and Broadway followed me. When he got to a door, I paused and waited for Broadway. People leave parts of their aura on objects they touch. Broadway was sensitive enough to be able to read a fresh print. At least I hoped he was.

When he nodded, I was surprised. Still, I was never one to pass up some good luck when offered up to me.

“Let’s follow him,” I whispered. “Didn’t I just pick up a card that will allow us to use the maglevs.” Broadway grinned and nodded.

We managed to remain unnoticed as we trailed him back to a block of flats. We decided not to press our luck. We had discovered one of the people behind Sarah’s poisoning, true, but we knew there were more out there, and I didn’t want to let them escape.

The assassin whispered approval.


	9. Chapter 9

*There's someone coming* the assassin informed me.

I heard the faint electric whirr of the monorail, grabbed Broadway and pulled us both behind a pillar just before a carriage pulled in, disgorging two technicians who chatted their way past us as they entered the apartment block. I breathed once they disappeared. That had been too close. I looked at Broadway, and, without needing to say a word, we went for the monorail.

"Do you think you can mock up a fake tattoo so I don't look like a new student?" I asked him once we were onboard and rushing away from the sector.

He looked thoughtful. "Maybe. It won't hold up to Sight though."

"According to Miss Pym," Our etiquette teacher, a very scary lady. She even intimidated the assassin. Or reminded her of one of her own teachers. It's hard to tell. I'm not sure which worried me the most. "It's awfully rude to just ping people. Not to mention obvious. So I'm hoping that noone will do that unless I draw attention to myself." Of course, the sorceress had noted in the class that some people used it to show interest in someone. I hadn't felt the need to share that snippet with the rest of the class, and, besides, the people I was likely to be encountering out here were all far too old for me.

"I guess. Just keep away from anywhere with security."

"Planning to. I hoping this will be a simple observation. Let's come back when he's not here. We might be able to discover something. Tomorrow."

We stopped off at the clinic to visit Sarah, but she was sleeping. Broadway wanted to talk to Seraphina, but she wasn’t there. Contrary to how it often seemed, she was also a researcher, and spent quite a bit of time in labs elsewhere. She tried to explain what she did there to me, but it just went over my head. I had learnt a lot about magical theory and practice from the books she had suggested - which had helped me with schoolwork - but all too quickly after looking at massive blocks of text, my eyes started to swim and I wanted nothing more than to just run across rooftops until my limbs burned. Broadway had it so easy by comparison. He could always chat with her about topics that were so far over my head I couldn't even see the distance. He'd only been here a month or two, but already he seemed to know more theory than Maria, who'd been here years. Sometimes, I felt inadequate with the two of them happily talking, unable to contribute.

Sometimes, it hurt, and I didn't know why. I tried not to think about those times. At least at the clinic, I could help Seraphina without feeling too stupid.

Broadway sent a message to Seraphina through the system, asking if she had time for a picnic. Short of anything else to do, we headed back to our living complex,

A bundle of energy met us as we exited the monorail. Mack had arrived.

“Have you heard? Sarah’s in hospital. An affront! An attack on one of our own!” He lowered his voice to a level that was merely just shouting level. “We must take action. I’m organising a meeting in the clearing.” He looked around, before adding dramatically “ At midnight!" Of course it was. Mack's sense of dramatics would never allow a meeting at another time. "You'll be there?” He looked up at us hopefully.

“Sure.” “Okay.” I didn't know about Broadway, but I didn't want to share anything with Mack that I wanted to keep secret, but the gang might have something to contribute, I guessed. Besides, it was more effort to say no than yes.

*Besides, if you refuse, they might figure out that we're doing our own thing. Do you really want Mack following you trying to find out what?*

Not exactly, no. Thank you for that ray of light, Princess.

Broadway got a buzz from his communicator. Seraphina could meet us this evening for a picnic outside. Thankfully some time before midnight.

"I'm off out," he said, meaning our workshop. "I'm going to do some homework. Maybe I'll think of something to help with the project." Meaning he was going to go work on spy devices and maybe something to fake a tattoo. Broadway *always* assumed he was under observation inside the complex, and that he had someone noting down everything he said. He was almost as paranoid as the assassin, although I tended to listen to him at least somewhat more.

I retired to a rooftop just outside the entrance, looking into the woods, not really knowing what to do.

*You *do* have homework to do,* the princess told me, as ever ready to remind me of my responsibilities.

I sighed. It seemed really odd to just do some equations after my friend had been poisoned, and we had tracked down the start of a conspiracy within the Facility, but I couldn't think of anything else more productive to do right now. I guessed life just went on.

I looked again at the boiled sweets before me and sighed. Well, if you could really call the deformed lumps cooling in a semi-molten blob in front of me 'boiled sweets'. I knew Seraphina really liked them. I imagined what she would say if presented them, and cringed.

*She'd laugh, say that you were sweet and probably even try a few.*

The cold voice of reality (or the princess as the case may be) didn't help. I chickened out and went to find Kasia, a cook of my acquaintance, to see if I could beg any off her.

The moon was high in the sky, when Seraphina walked quickly into the glade, white light glinting off her.

"I'm sorry I'm late." She began. Oh dear. Another one of *those* days in the lab. "Keel in reality-wave research really needed me to run a few tests for him, and when that was finished, I really needed to finish up some work on perturbation simulator, only Xini had started using it, though she hadn't booked it, so I sorted whilst she ran her experiment so we could get it completed as quickly as possible." She threw her hands in the air. "Only I think someone must have misaligned it, since it was producing some really weird results. I'll have to redo the experiment when I next get some time on the machine."

It, or a close variation, was a common tale of woe whenever she had the chance to escape the clinic to the labs. She really, sincerely, loved the research, but whenever she had a chance to do any, she was always snowed under by requests from her colleagues and hardly got any of her own work done. She seemed to alternate between starrily eyed dreaming of her next opportunity to do some of her research and spending the next day or so after her last session quietly fuming over all the research she hadn't managed to get done. Not that she'd let that affect her work at the clinic, you understand. I doubt even the other members of staff there knew. But I could tell. Her bright eyed spark of enthusiasm, one of the things I l...liked about her, seemed dimmed those days. Those colleagues never knew how lucky they were that I had no contact with them. Seraphina, of course, always thought the best of everyone, and never seemed to question how all these requests and inconvenient 'accidents' of stuff like double usage seemed to happen around her.

While I was thinking dire thoughts in the direction of these researchers I had never met, shwe had sat down and Broadway was telling her about what we had discovered during the day. I offered her some of Kasia's boiled sweets. She smiled, and accepted as she listened.

I saw her react, just a little, as Broadway described the odd aura imprints he had found connacted with the poisoning.

"Have you heard of anything like this before?" he asked, finishing up.

"Maybe. I think so. Yes. Maybe." She took a breath. "One of my aunts developed such a technique. But it can't be her, surely."

"Does anyone else know it?"

"She's had students. Family, I think. No one she doesn't approve of. Such things are kept private in the Courts." She looked unhappy. I wanted to go over and hold her, or at least her hand, but I didn't dare. "Maybe someone else developed something similar." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Are any of her students here?" I asked.

"As far as I know, none of the rest of my family are here. This place is not well known in the Courts."

So much for another easy suspect. Still, we had one person that was involved.

"You haven't reported this to the investigation team," she stated more than asked.

"At the moment, we don't know that they're not involved. After all, the best way to keep an eye on an investigation is to be on the team." Broadway wasn't the only one with shades of paranoia.

"Well, please, let me know what you find out." I could see that she was worried, and disturbed. Maybe we shouldn't have involved her.

I forced a smile, not letting any of my concerns cross my face. "Of course. Thanks for helping."

"I'm already involved. Sarah's my patient." She did have a tendency to gather concerns to herself. I worried that someday, she'd overload herself. The princess muttered direly about burnout, occasionally. I'd looked the subject up in the library, and wished I hadn't. I'm not sure worrying about her as much as she worried about everyone else would help.

With the revelation, the picnic mood had soured. Seraphina made her goodbyes, and left. Broadway left a few minutes later, to go to another entrance. I made for the rooftops and waited for Mack's meeting at midnight. The night was far too clear to just go inside.

The fire cast shadows around the clearing, dramatically illuminating Mack’s face from below as he leant over the fire to look at those assembled before him.

“Now we are all gathered, we start Mission Catch The Attacker.”

“You’re on fire,” Clarence noted. Mack looked down to see his uniform start to catch, and jumped backwards, patting at the flames to put them out. Luckily, our clothes were meant to be fairly resilient, which included being very hard to set alight. (Something I was particularly glad of since the arrival of Aleks.)

Also turning up to this farce in addition to Mack, Clarence, Broadway and myself was the Hive, a quintet almost as excitable as Mack, and Madrigal, who sat so far back from the fire she was almost lost in the darkness.

Attempting to ignore the assault on his dignity (and having put himself out), Mack continued. “As I’m sure all of you are aware, there have been a team of investigators in our living complex, poking into everything they can find. As the most investigative minds of our class, “ read, those who would turn up to this meeting “we should mount our own hunt for the attacker. And I have a clue.” He proudly held up a vial of familiar looking liquid. “I managed to get this from the investigators with the help of Clank.” Clarence stayed quiet. “Now all we have to do is find out what it is.”

“Poison,” Broadway answered.

The look on his face was priceless. Standing there a little gape mouthed, he looked at Broadway. Unfortunately, his grip  
on the vial slipped. Luckily, I managed to dive forward in time before it hit the ground. I had already inhaled more than enough of that, I felt.

“W..What?” he stammered.

“It’s poison,” Broadway reiterated. “It’s what the person used on Sarah, and it’s why she’s in hospital.”

Mack looked a little green. “Do you know anything about the person who did this?”

Broadway looked at me a second, and apparently took that as licence to tell all, or at least most. Thankfully, Clarence was there to squash any idea Mack might have had to go and confront the man we were sure was connected. The question about how we would keep watch came up, and neither of us had a good response. Bugging him seemed unwise, and I was in class much of the time.

“I can see though the eyes of my cat,” came a voice from the darkness. We all turned. Madrigal had kept so quiet we had forgotten she was there.

“That could be useful.” And I’d have to remember that, I thought.

She inclined her head in response.

So the plan was drawn up. I’d watch whenever I could (with the aid of a fake tattoo), Madrigal would watch whenever she could (through the medium of her cat) and Broadway would set up what devices he could overlooking the apartment. We wouldn’t be able to see what was happening inside the flat, or follow the man around, but it was better than nothing.

The door to the man’s apartment stood before us. I’d gone back the next day, and waited until he had left before calling Broadway over. Now we were here. Should we enter? He might well have alarms and other methods of telling if someone had been there. Besides, what if there was nothing incriminating here? We’d have revealed ourselves for nothing. I looked at Broadway, Broadway looked at me.

“Do you want to check to see if you can get any aura prints off the handle?”

“Sure.” He concentrated. “Interesting. I’ve got his partial aura, but rather more of another aura which is whole. There’s also a very faint second partial aura there. I think. It’s hard to tell, but I don’t think it’s his.”

“Hmmm… let’s leave, and talk on the way.”

We left hurriedly before anything could go wrong. This had been a mistake. I suggested that Broadway replace the handle to the apartment block with an identical handle that recorded the aura of anyone touching it and would send a (radio) signal to a camera hidden on the building opposite whenever someone with a partial aura touched it. Hopefully because Sarah was still alive, there’d be another visit soon.

Over the next few days, we confirmed that most of the time, our techie friend had a normal aura without holes in it. Occasionally he’d leave the apartment with a partial aura, but he’d never come back with a partial aura if he hadn’t left with one, and never come back without a partial aura if he had left with one. Broadway hypothesised that he had something in his apartment that allowed him to change his aura. It’s possible that the other person came here to change their aura too.

Someone else had been there with a partial aura, the camera told me. It was about a week later, and I was getting more and more antsy about whether or not we were going to catch anything. The investigation team certainly didn't seem to have caught up with us. Possibly the conspirators knew how to work around them. Possibly the investigation team was compromised. The assassin told me that was what she'd do. I had snuck back to the apartment to watch for a while, when I checked Broadway's camera log. We had a hit! Someone else with a partial print had come out of the apartment. I looked at the time. Just a quarter of an hour ago. I called Broadway over the communicator.

"Hi! We've had someone else turn up to the party. I could use some help with preparations. You free?"

"Ummm... how urgently do you need the help?" The familiar sounds of Broadway working in his lab came over the com.

"Well, they turned up quarter of hour ago. I'm worried they're getting bored." I accessed the picture in the camera whilst I talked. Be nice to know who we were supposed to be looking for.

"I'll be there as quickly as I can."

"Fuck!" I swore.

"What?"

"I'll meet you at the clinic." I rang off. I didn't want to trust this to the network.

It was Alicia, Seraphina's friend.

I slowed down just before entering the clinic, to merely walking quickly. As I weaved past patients and nurses, I caught sight of Seraphina.

"Hi!" I said a little breathlessly. (Well, more breathlessly than usual.) "How's Sarah?"

"What's the rush?" Seraphina asked a little puzzledly. I shrugged and smiled. "Well, it shouldn't be a problem. Alicia's in there visiting right now."

Oh, great.

*Don't anything away until you strike.*

Was it my imagination, or was the assassin much more chatty these days?

*Much as it pains me to agree with the killing machine, there's no point bursting in there with accusations unless you're planning to back them up. You don't have such a plan, do you?*

Well, no.

I took a breath, calmed myself as much as I could, and entered Sarah's room.

My first impression was good - Sarah and Alicia were chatting happily. Much better than the alternative, really.

"Hi!" I said cheerily. I'm really not certain how I managed this.

The responses were equally as bright, even if Sarah's was still a little weak. If I didn't know better, I'd say Alicia was good for Sarah. She was more animated than I'd seen her in a while, even before hospitalised.

The assassin took control of my eyes anf focussed on the bedside cabinet. *Box of chocolates.* They hadn't been there this morning, the last time I had visited. They were also open. Sarah was reaching over for another as I watched

"Oh, are those chocolates? I'm famished." I wandered over and grabbed the box, shoving a handful of chocolates into my mouth, and 'coincidentally' keeping them out of Sarah's reach.

*Subtle.* the Princess commented.

I ignored her as my stomach twisted. But from we had learned, it seemed to have it's biggest effect on people with precognitive magic. Given my personal magic, or lack thereof, I'd be safe. Wouldn't I? I felt nauseous.

I ignored the annoyed looks that Alicia and Sarah gave me. "So, how's things?"

"I was just visiting Sarah to see how she was doing." She looked at her watch. "I should probably be leaving." She rose to her feet and handed Sarah a wrapped gift. "Something to help you while away the hours until you get out of here." Sarah ripped the paper open eagerly, revealing a book beneath.

I snatched it. "Oh, what is this? Cool." I flicked through it. Was there a faint hum of magic from it? Nothing seemed to happen.

"Keri!" I'd finally annoyed Sarah enough to comment.

Alicia had stopped before leaving the room. "Hey, kid. I got that for Sarah."

I gave her a cheery grin. "Don't worry, I'll give it back after I'm done. We're friends - we share everything." I patted Sarah on the shoulder affectionately. I managed to stun her enough that she couldn't formulate a response. "Anyway, don't let us keep you. I'm sure you're busy. Toodles!" I waved at her.

Alicia flushed angrily, but obviously controlled herself. "I'll come back another time, Sarah. Hopefully when we can be undisturbed." Was that a little heat I heard? I certainly hoped so.

*Crude, but effective. Well done. Apparently you *have* been paying attention to me, occasionally. Hopefully she'll just put this little performance down to jealousy.*

Jealousy? What at?

*I really can't believe you're that naive.* She seemed amused. *Maybe I'll tell you when you're older.*

You're the same age as I am, I thought. But she didn't respond.

"You can be a real bitch, you know that!" I focussed outside of me again. Sarah was staring at me with a scowl on her face.

I sighed. "Sorry. I've been having a really bad day." I sure had. My stomach was twisting. I never wanted to eat chocolate again, poisoned or no.

"What's wrong?" There was still some bite in her words.

"You know, the usual." I paused for the cameras, then leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Alicia's connected to the people who poisoned you."

"Really?"

I nodded gravely, and spoke louder. "Can you believe it? Anyway, thanks for the chocolate and the book. I need to go back to my room to sulk for a while." I gave her a half smile, waved then headed out, leaving her white and shaken behind me.

I rushed to the toilet and spent the next five minutes emptying the contents of my stomach.

Outside, in the greenery of the forest. Not my preference, but the others seemed to prefer it. I'd managed to get Seraphina's attention and ask her for a lunchtime picnic, and put enough urgency in my voice to get her to agree.

I briefly went through what I had discovered.

"Alicia? You're sure." Seraphina looked heartbroken. I felt a stabbing pain in response. I shouldn't have told her. I should have handled this without involving her.

"I'm sorry."

"But she's a really old friend. I've known her since I was young."

The cynic in me (and the princess) wondered if that was because Alicia had been an agent for her aunt even then. But I didn't say anything. I didn't want to hurt Seraphina any more.

"I've got to do something, I can't just talk to her next time I see her, knowing that she's done this."

We were out of time. I just had to hope that what we had was enough.

"Then it's time to get the authorities involved."

Broadway looked at me. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, we can't trust the investigation team, so let's go straight to the top. I'll go see the Director." I shrugged. "I guess he could be involved, but then we're stuffed anyway."

"How are you going to get to see him?"

"Take me to the director's office." I told the computer panel in the monorail, as I used the hacked identification card.

To my complete lack of surprise, guards were waiting for me at the other end. I smiled winningly at them.

"Hi! I need to talk to the Director about a matter of utmost importance."

"That's just as well. We have orders to take you to his office. We do not appreciate these kind of pranks."

I was escorted down the corridor to an engraved wooden door with a brass plate on it. I couldn't read the script, but it had the hum of magic about it. A manyarmed gargoyle waited for me within, seated behind a wetly organic desk. A marble door ordaned the wall beside it.

"What is your business with the Director?"

"I'm sorry. I need to tell him directly."

The gargoyle consulted an earpiece and nodded. I was searched thoroughly, then marched through the doorway into an office apparently with glass walls underwater. An albino stood looking out as a mammoth fish swum past. He turned to look at me with red eyes.

"You have asked to see me? I do hope you have a good reason for disturbing me."

"Uh yes. A student has been poisoned. My roomate, Sarah. I think I've discovered who did it."

"There's a perfectly good investigation team looking into it. Why didn't you tell them?"

"An organised group was behind it. I didn't know who to trust, whether anyone on the team was compromised."

He sighed. "And so you came to see me about it. Very well. I do suggest you do not make a habit of this."

I related what we had found.

"Mmmm... interesting. Well, don't worry. I will make sure this is sorted out." He waved a dismissal at me. I was escorted from the room, and back to the monorail. The hacked card was removed, and I was sent back to the living quarters. Mission accomplished, I guessed?


	10. Chapter 10

Today was the day that Sarah was going to be released. I wasn’t really sure what to do, but I thought I should do *something*. Mack, of course, had ideas. Lacking a better option, I went along with them, which was why I was currently inflating what seemed like my hundredth balloon today. I vaguely remembered birthdays from before they came to my world, and they did involve balloons. I didn’t remember this many, though, as I surveyed the brightly coloured sea that I, Mack and Clank had produced and I did wonder where Sarah and I were going to sleep tonight. Clank’s efficiency and enthusiasm with his pressurised air device was bad enough, but then Mack, of course, had decided to try and match him. Clank, of course, was happy to set the bar high enough that Mack would still be inflating balloons this time next week, and was still going. I’d lost sight of Mack a little while ago as he disappeared beneath balloon level.

The door to our room opened, and there was a small shriek as the balloons started to flood outwards. Even if I didn’t recognise the voice, her head was briefly visible above the wave, before she apparently slipped backwards. Sarah had returned a little early.

“Surprise?” I called. Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Mack.

*Words to live by through the ages.*

Thank you, Princess.

I dived through the mass to the door, with the occasion detonation of a burst balloon to mark my way. I grabbed Sarah’s hand that had risen, revenant like, from the mass of balloons flooding into the corridor, and pulled her to her feet. She stood still, still a little stunned.

I hugged her impulsively. “Welcome back.”

“Uh, thank you. I think. Did anyone ever mention there could be such a thing as too many balloons?”

“If so, they lied,” came a slightly muffled declaration from further back in the room in a brief gasp before the sound of yet another inflating balloon.

“Mack, you can stop now. She’s seen the surprise.”

“Just a few more.”

I looked at Sarah. She was still a little pale. “Nope. No more. Sarah needs somewhere to sit down.” I evicted Mack and Clank, Mack bitterly complaining that he had almost beaten Clank’s number of balloons, and cleared out enough of the balloons so that Sarah could at least perch on her bed.

She gave me a wan smile. “I’ve never had balloons before.”

“I guess you can’t say that now.”

“No. I’ll have to thank Mack next time I see him.”

*I imagine Clarence would appreciate them more.*

Clank *had* seemed rather more enthusiastic than was normal.

“Ready to rejoin classes?”

She laughed a little. “I’ve felt worse.” She caught me looking worriedly at her, and shooed me away. “I’ll be fine. You’re not my nurse now.”

True, but that wouldn’t stop me taking her to the infirmary if I thought she needed it. Still, I was sure Seraphina wouldn’t have let her out if she wasn’t ready for classes.

Anyway… “Don’t you think it’s time to continue my cooking lessons?” I asked, and made a sour face. “You haven’t seen my attempts in the interim.”

She looked amusedly at me. “I did wonder why you hadn’t bought me a homemade treat. Come on, let’s go to the kitchens.”

I leapt up and headed for the door, kicking balloons out of my way. “You’ll be pleased to know I’ve got you some more cutlery.”

“Always prepared…”

I didn’t hear what happened to Alicia, but I didn’t see her around anymore. Seraphina didn’t say anything either, but I didn’t want to ask for fear of opening healing wounds. It made my stomach hurt to see her in pain.

I frowned at my communicator. Ten minutes ago I had received a communiqué informing me of a lesson change and giving me a new location to go to via monorail and elevator. I was there now. Wind whipped around me as the vista of the Facility rooftops stretched beneath. I was fairly sure I was at the top of what I had internally called the Needle of the Goddess. It had certainly seemed high enough to reach her. For a while, I had climbed to the top almost every day, before getting bored. For all its height, there were far more challenging climbs.

"Greetings, student." A cool female voice came from behind me. I turned, hand raised in defence. Apparently the good captain's lessons were having their effect.

*Or mine.* the assassin's voice whispered.

I ignored her. I was fairly sure that if I had been listening to her lessons, my hand would not have been raised in *defence.*

A woman a little taller than me had emerged from somewhere. I hadn't heard the lift or magic, so I concluded she must have been hanging off the platform. She had cropped blonde hair, pale skin and a tight grey one piece outfit.

*That colour really doesn't suit her.* the princess observed.

"I take it you are my new teacher. What are we doing up here?"

"Today's first lesson. Mobility. You have to get down to the bottom of the tower, and climb up again."

I internally shrugged. As I said, not exactly challenging.

"And you have to do it faster than me." She dropped off the side of the platform.

Curses.

The climb down was interesting. My opponent was fast, and apparently had some limited control over her descent. This would have helped her more if the tower didn't have sufficient protrusions to make flinging yourself down from one to another feasible. You had to jump blind half the time, but, like I said, I had climbed this tower before. Still, she managed to get to the bottom about half a minute before me, and passed me on the way up close enough to almost touch me and gave me an insulting little smile. That was it. The race was on.

On the way up, her ability to direct her movement in the air was less useful. She was fast, but I was faster. The platform was fast approaching, but I was going to overtake her first. She sped up a little, pushing herself even harder, her breathing becoming a little irregular. It didn't matter. I caught up to her and passed her, reaching a beam just a fraction before she did, forcing her to cling to her current ledge rather than move up. I gave her that same smile in return as I leapt for the platform.

*Watch out!* the princess yelled. *Look ahead.*

I whipped my head back around to look at the fast approaching platform. There was nothing there. Then the wall blurred, and a sword struck out at me. I screamed and leapt away. Into empty space.

What happened next was a blur even to me. I think the assassin took control, twisted my body around, away from the blade, then whipped my arm around even faster, caught a hold of the sword arm and *pulled*.

The next thing I really knew is that I was rolling to a standstill on the platform, and there was a male scream from below, that cut-off suddenly. Looking over the edge, it seemed that my assailant had not fallen far before being caught midair by the blonde haired woman, who then glided back to the tower.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the platform. The woman bowed to me.

"Well done, Keri. My name is Nerys Hughes."

"What the hell was that?" I'm not ashamed to admit my heart was still pounding a little. "He almost killed me!" The man in question looked a little sheepish. He was holding his arm. The sword had apparently been lost.

"That was your first lesson. In our world, situations change." She looked a little rueful. "I thought I had managed to make you angry enough not to look ahead too closely." She waved at the man, who looked glad to scuttle off the rooftop and into the lift to take him down.

"Yeah, well. Apparently, I'm full of surprises."

**You're* not. If I hadn't been there... Well, let's just say in my opinion, she's got you cold.* The princess, as ever-helpful as always.

"So it would seem. You'll need all the surprises you can get if you're to survive in Special Operations."

"What?"

Nerys traced a quick cobweb in the air. "I'm sure you've seen us around."

"Us?" She didn't have one. Her tattoo was pure teaching staff.

"On furlough at the moment. Teaching." She shrugs. "They don't send new mothers on missions."

Apparently don't mind them dropping off buildings though. "Why would I want to be part of Special Operations, anyway?"

"Good question. Simple answer is that you'll have to make your own decision about that. More complicated answer is that you seem to be physically inclined despite a considerable raw magical talent, but you dislike conflict enough that you'll never make a good member of security."

*Isn't conflict what you're all about?"

"Not necessarily. We prefer a certain flexibility of thought." She pursed her lips, and started walking. "Tell you what, your homework is finding out as much as you can about we actually do." She leapt off the platform, and glided off into the distance. Whatever else you could say about her, she definitely knew how to make an exit.

Unsurprisingly, the library was less than helpful about the details of the fixers, or Special Operations as they were apparently formally known. I had a feeling that that was at least part of the lesson. So I did what I could - I went around trying to gather what information that my teachers were willing to share with me. The sorceress occasionally chipped in, although usually just by letting me feel her amusement at some of their more egregious errors. Still, I managed to gather that their general duties involved off world scouting and protection of personnel. There were also dark hints from some teachers about the more 'special' off world operations they got up to. The sorceress completely refused to be drawn on that matter. On the bright side, the report I managed to compile seemed to satisfy Nerys.

"Oh no," Seraphina murmured whilst looking at a fixed terminal as I entered her office at the clinic.

"What's wrong?"

"A colleague really wants to use a room I booked weeks ago for a vital experiment." She did a very good impression of gnawing on her lip. "I really can't answer this now. I need to do my rounds."

"I could write a response if you want." Anything to help her out.

"Would you? I'd be really grateful."

"Sure."

She smiled at me, and for a second there was nothing else but her glittering face, filling my world with her warmth. And then she was gone, looking after the patients in her clinic.

I scanned the letter. It was a fairly brusque demand for the lab room, only somewhat softened by a fairly poor attempt at an excuse.

*Huh. Seraphina really must be a pushover. It reads like they expect to get away with this.*

The princess gently nudged me aside in my body, and before I really knew what she was doing, she was scanning through Seraphina’s inbox.

*Apparently they have good reason. Have you seen all these previous ‘requests’ she’s just given in to?*

Hey! We shouldn’t be looking in there. That’s private!

*Oh hush. She obviously needs someone to look after her. Even if she doesn’t realise it. Especially if she doesn’t realise it.*

The princess started in on a response.

And so it started. Seraphina was happy, but somewhat puzzled, when she found out that the person had decided to find a better time for their experiment. And I, prompted by the Princess, offered to do this on a more regular basis, so she could spend more time in the clinic and doing research. I found out a lot more about the administrative system of the Facility than I really wanted to know. And the Princess had fun. Apparently she really enjoyed leading some of the more obnoxious people on wild goose chases, ‘accidentally’ forwarding work Seraphina did for people to a more general list so Seraphina got the credit she deserved and generally playing around with the system. 

When this first started happening, certain people attempted to bypass us and talk to Seraphina directly. It was at this point that I started to organise Seraphina’s diary, so I could always fob them off with something she was supposed to be doing. And after a few subtle bitchslaps of that kind, people started to leave Seraphina alone. I’m not sure Seraphina really knew what hit her, but she seemed happy and continually amazed at how much work she seemed to get done. Her big paper was finally moving forward after a decade of inertia. I never really got that much time to work in the clinic any more, but it did have to be said that my bedside manner sucked anyway.

My communicator buzzed. I looked at it, expecting another bizarre training location. Nerys really seemed to love finding them. But, to my surprise, it was an email from the Director, authorising a request I had made to go visit Lindsey and Kieran. I didn’t like to think about them much. It hurt. But finally I could go back and see how they were!

*Huh. I wouldn’t have expected the Director to authorise this.*

What do you mean?

*How many people do you think there are in the Facility?*

I don’t know. Thousands, maybe. Tens of thousands?

*Even many of the students are allowed to go home occasionally, let alone all the staff. Do you honestly think the director spends all his days just going over holiday requests.*

I guessed not. That was kind of worrying.

*It was intended to be. Maybe it’s just a favour for bringing that conspiracy to his attention.*

But maybe not.

*Sniff. It’s like my little baby is almost ready to leave the nest.*

I’d like to see you survive by yourself with no help from your servants.

*I wouldn’t need to worry. I’d have you to help me.*

I shared the fact that I had managed to get leave with Broadway. I didn’t need to share the princess’ paranoia with him – he already has more than enough of his own. He got a thoughtful look in his eye, and said that he’d think about making a request of his own. He’d been spending a lot of time with Seraphina recently – he was helping her do research. I tried to squish the jealousy I felt whenever I thought of all the time they were spending together and mostly succeeded. This wasn’t helped when he said that he had to run to conduct an experiment with her. I waved goodbye as my buzzer went. Ah, there was the call from Nerys. The sewer tunnels beneath the students’ living quarters. Oh joy.

I was doing the morning handling of Seraphina’s email when she bobbed into her office. My day instantly brightened.

“Good morning, Keri.” She bobbed her head cutely.

“Hiya.” I waved a hand at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll have this done shortly.” Or rather the Princess would. A certain Professor Miles had rather unwisely drawn her wrath. She hadn’t actually explained what had her spitting in rage yet, but I assumed it was an insult that I hadn’t bothered to learn to appreciate.

“No, no. That’s not what I was going to talk about. I’ve had a research trip approved.”

“Oh, wow. I know you’ve been wanting to go on one for ages. What are you going to be researching?”

“The effects of distortion and partial crystallisation on a limited shadow manifold.”

“Sounds great.” I had no idea what she talking about, but I knew this kind of thing made her happy.

There was suddenly a silence within me. A space where the sorceress was. She was alert, listening. And, naturally, not telling me a thing.

Seraphina looked away.

I got a sudden bad feeling in my stomach. “Is there a catch?”

“I’m going to be studying the disruption to your home shadow.” There was an uncomfortable pause. She’d be studying the damage I did to that world. I hadn’t meant to, but, still, people had died. This wasn’t really a part of past I wanted to revisit, let alone have Seraphina of all people look into. “I understand that you’ll be accompanying us on a visit home. I hope you don’t mind if I have questions for you during the trip.”

I shook my head. I didn’t really want that to disturb my time with Lindsey and Kieran, but I couldn’t refuse her. Besides, it might be important. The answers might save lives.

“Anyway, a doctor’s work is never done.” Seraphina gave me a wave, backed out of the room and left.

Joy.

The world felt stronger than when I had left it. More solid. I hoped that it meant that it would recover in time. Maybe I could help it, when I knew more.

Seraphina happily shined next to me. Or she would done if you could have seen her beneath the heavy illusions that they had cloaked her in. People made of a translucent crystalline weren’t exactly common here. I could feel her magics stirring as she started to examine the world. I cleared my tumultuous emotions, and smiled at her. Having her worried about me wasn’t going to help anyone. And she was such a worrier.

Our bodyguards, Special Operations staff, looked generally bored. Velorn, a blonde haired skinny guy, shifted around a bit, casing the street idly. He was team leader of the webheads, and he wasn’t a bad guy. (At the Princess’s urging, I had gotten to know the other members of our little expedition.) I smiled winningly at him, and he raised his eyebrows in response. Time for a bargain.

“There’s no real point in splitting your team to look after me as well as the researchers. I know my way around here. I’ll be safe.”

“Is that so? The reports of your escapades around here before we picked you up indicate otherwise.”

“That did get sorted.” I pointed out. “Anyway, I figure that there’s two ways this can play out. I can be the annoying kid first time out of the Facility, always trying to get some time to myself and I talk with my family undisturbed. Or I can be the quiet professional who reports in on time, or quicker if anything happens, and is trusted enough to go off by herself as long as there’s no risk.”

“Hmmm… well, you’re right that your profile doesn’t indicate any danger at the moment.” He pointed a figure at me. “But miss one call in, or even get in a hint of trouble and don’t report it in ASAP, and I’m gluing one of the team to you at all times so close I’ll have a wall chart of your bowel movements.”

“Understood, sir.” I waved at Seraphina, who somewhat distractedly waved back, and headed off. It was time to contact my adoptive parents.

I turned the phone that Lindsey had given me on (Broadway had charged it before I left), and rang her number.

“Hello? Keri? Is that you?” She sounded so desperate, yet full of hope, I almost cried.

“Yes, mum, it’s me. I‘m back.” I may have sniffled a bit. It was good to be back.

Balloons drifted down towards me. If I were a more fragile soul, I might have had traumatic flashbacks to Sarah's welcome back. Luckily I was safe, enfolded in Lindsey's arms.

"How have you been? I've been so worried. Have you been looking after yourself? How are they treating you?" I wasn't given much of a chance to respond - Lindsey seemed in full motherly flow. Eventually she subsided and let me get a word in edgewise.

"I've been fine. After the last few years, it'd take more than the Facility to crimp my style. I've been worried about you and Kieran, though. I hoped you had been told what had happened..." I looked questioningly over at her.

She looked down at her hands. "Yes. Kieran told me the next day that you had been taken to somewhere where they could help you."

"Dad knew? He knew before they took me." My voice may have raised in pitch a little.

She nodded.

I ground my teeth. "He couldn't have asked? They had to come in the night and just snatch me?"

"He said that they said that they couldn't risk it. If you had got spooked, if you had jumped world again..." By the end her voice was so quiet I could hardly hear it.

I took a breath, and tried to control my temper, and my pain. It was hard. The Princess whispered comfort. It helped. I saw tears leaking down Lindsey's cheeks, saw the fear. It was enough. I hugged her. "I'm back now. If only for a holiday. Love you, Mum."

Mum decided to compress months worth of fussing into the few days we had. Restaurants, clothes shops, shoe shops, karaoke and just talking sped the days past. I was impressed by how well she kept up. Going for days without sleep wasn't hard for me. Not so much for her, but I hardly saw her catch a wink. Kieran was obvious in his absence. She didn't speak about him and I didn't ask. Despite everything, I hoped they hadn't split up. I could fault him, not really. It still hurt in the irrational places in my soul, though.


	11. Chapter 11

My communicator went.

It was Seraphina. "Good morning. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

I looked at the pair of high heel sandals dangling from my other hand. By the end of this I was certainly going to be the best dressed student in my class. "No. What can I do for you?" I smiled. It was good to hear her voice again.

"From your debriefing, you were being chased by a flying vehicle. You then said you did something, and space seemed to fracture."

I thought back. "Yes. That's how I remember it."

"Did you do this," she paused "in a alley near Withle Street? Just above an apartment block?"

"Yes. The apartment block was number 22 to 26, and the alley in particular was to the left side of the building."

She took me through exactly what I did, several times, asking to elaborate on various points such as what I visualised when I was doing this.

"Thanks. I think that's all I need."

There was a pause. I thought about asking why she was so interested, but decided it could wait for later. "I guess I'll see you in a day or two."

"Goodbye." She sounded a little disappointed, like she had been hoping I'd ask what she'd found out. But today, I just wanted to be with my mum.

"Who was that, Keri? Your boyfriend?"

I blushed. "No! Just a friend from the Facility."

"Uhuh. Just a friend. That's why your face lit up so much when they phoned." She laughed at my spluttering denials. "Oh, don't worry. You don't need to tell me about them now. I might want to meet them at some point, though."

I cringed at the thought. I mean, Seraphina was just my friend. My mentor, even.

*Just a friend, huh.*

Shut up. I didn't really want Mum, I don't know, changing things. I was happy with things just the way they were.

I decided to attempt a cunning distraction by finding some awful shoes with clashing colours that Mum would have to argue me out of getting.

It was over too soon.

I hugged Mum hard. "I'll be back when I can. Hopefully with a shiny new education."

"I know, dear," she said into my hair. "I'd have just liked more time to get to know you. I've already missed so much."

"I'd have liked that too." I snuffled a little. "But there'll be time. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." She released me. "Your friends are here now." She looked over at them, and smiled wickedly. "Now, let me guess which one you have a crush on."

"Mum!" I complained.

She hugged me one last time. "Now, go, before I lose my courage and refuse to let you go."

I kissed her on the cheek. "Give my love to Kieran." Despite everything, he was my father.

She looked a little oddly at me, then relaxed. "I will try, dear. I'll try."

And then I walked to meet the team from the Facility. As I walked, I smoothed my hair, and found a damp patch where Mum had leaned against it. I took a hankerchief she had bought me, one with her initials embroidered in the corner, and dabbed at it. Once it had collected some of the moisture, I wrapped it up and shoved it in a pocket. Something to remember her by, until the next time we met.

 

Seraphina was happy to see me, and even happier to expound upon what she found out. I guess I make a good listener.

“Wow. That was much more interesting than what the team had reported.”

“What was?”

“The stabilization team had reported that area around where you used your birthright power had crystallised and was actually supporting the local shadow framework, so they left it alone just in case disturbing it caused a catastrophic collapse of the local shadow system, and marked it for further study. It turns out it’s far more interesting than that.”

I think I understood most of that. “How so?”

“As you might have guessed, the local shadow system was swiftly degenerating, and there was significant amount of instability and chaotic energy in the area. I’m guessing, from what you said and what I have been able to deduce that you focussed this energy at the helicopter, wanting to push it away. I’m not sure if your intent mattered – it’s definitely something to note. The locus of this concentrated energy became a fracture in the shadow manifold, which the helicopter was sucked though. However – it doesn’t seem to have made it through to another shadow. Rather, a twisted complete space seems to have formed inside the gap – not actually connected topologically to any of the surrounding spaces. I wasn’t able to probe it. I’m not sure exactly why – it could be that it is a side effect of being formed with Pattern. Another hypothesis is that another power is involved, but if it is, it’s not registering to anything I can throw at it. It’s possible that the helicopter is trapped inside this space. This space certainly seems to have stabilised the situation. It’s possibly one of the reasons this shadow is so stable. Anyway, it’s very interesting phenemon – doubly so considering your lack of experience and lack of initiation.” She stopped, and gave me an energetic smile. “If you don’t mind, I should be able to get a paper out of just this. Maybe when you’re more experienced, we can try and replicate it in some uninhabited shadows.”

“Sure.” Uh, that was good, I guessed. If I’d understood her correctly, I didn’t just wreck the place whilst I was there. But if I managed to stabilise the situation on instinct, what caused the problems in the first place? Was it me after all, or was there another factor in play? I could feel the Sorceress watching, and taking notes. As usual, she didn’t have anything to share with me, though.

 

Sarah jumped on me as soon as I got back. "How'd it go?" she demanded. Then she saw the bags I was lugging behind me. "And what have you got there?"

I was feeling tired. I hadn't really slept in almost four days. But I wasn't too tired to spare a smile for my roommate. "It went well. I had fun. And... we went shopping."

And, lo, the next few hours were spent going through the many clothes, shoes and other things that I had bought back with me. A couple of the things might suit Sarah, despite our different colouring, and I said that she could borrow them now and again. Life returned to (almost) normal.

 

Broadway decided to go visit Jenny’s homeworld for his off world visit. Jenny hadn’t been doing too well – she had killed the tree I had found for her, and Seraphina had tried a number of other things to help stabilise her. Nothing seemed to do anything apart from stave off the inevitable. He was gone for about a week. When he returned, he spent some time in the lab. To my surprise, he invited Seraphina there to help upgrade the facilities, or something. Given my lack of expertise in matters sorcerous, I made myself scarce, doing some spare time training on the rooftops.

My communicator went. It was Broadway.

“Good afternoon. Could you come to the lab?”

“Finished already? Sure, I guess.”

“Excellent. I’ll expect you.”

 

The lab was pretty much unchanged except that one room now hummed with magic. Warding magic, I thought, listening. Broadway and Seraphina were there waiting for me. I waved a hello and smiled at them. (Possibly a little more at Seraphina.)

“Could you come this way?” Broadway asked, and gestured towards the room with the warding hum. I approached it, and looked inside. It was empty.

“Do you see anything inside?” he continued. I concentrated, and active probed the room with my less mundane sense. Still nothing. I shook my head.

Broadway looked troubled. “I can see something in there – a spirit. I took it from Jenny’s world. I think it’s the ghost of one of the dryads that burned there. No one else can see it either. I wonder if Jenny could…” He looked contemplative for a moment, then shook his head. “No. I couldn’t risk her like that.”

“What was it like? Her world, I mean.”

“Still burnt. There is still power there, leaching something from the ghosts. Maybe energy. Maybe pain. I’m not sure. But it feels a bit like the power that Aleks uses.”

“Do you think she did it?” She had casually mentioned burning people alive for irritating her. But a world…

“No, I don’t think so. Similar, but not the same.”

“You didn’t come up with anything else to help her.”

“No.” He looked at Seraphina. “I don’t think you came up with anything either.”

“I was too busy looking after you,” she said with as close to an edge as I had ever heard. “He almost fell over several times from what I *suspect* was excessive power use.”

Broadway had the grace to look a little embarrassed, and then swiftly tried to change the topic.

Whether or not there was a ghost there, Broadway kept on checking on *something* the whole time I was there. Eventually, though, I decided that it was approaching dinner time, so I left him to it.

 

The Facility has ghosts of its own, of course. Mostly dead students and staff, or so the stories go. I hadn’t seen any yet, though when Evelyn had first appeared I thought that she was one. She was integrated by this point, even if she hadn’t joined the general classes yet. I occasionally saw her, generally from outside a window. I would wave at her, but of course, she couldn’t see me to wave back.

 

The communicator beeped. Broadway.

"Could you meet us outside, in the glade?"

Us? I was intrigued.

Us turned out to be Broadway and Seraphina. 

Broadway smiled trumphantly at me. "I met Jenny, and she knew something was up." He seemed very pleased that someone other than him could see this spirit. "I couldn't keep it from her." He waved at a part of the glade which hummed with magic. "Seraphina and I set up a ward here, so I could transport the spirit here, so Jenny could interact with it. She'll be along in a bit. I wanted you to be here, just in case."

We idled around for a few minutes. I took the opportunity to just talk with Seraphina for a while. It was nice, but it reminded me achingly that we seemed to be from two different worlds. I just didn't get so much of what she said. Broadway was always so much better at that kind of thing than I. He could talk to her.

Jenny arrived, but she didn't have eyes for any of us. She went straight to the centre of the warded area and stretched out her hand. There was a scream of energies, and a flickering image slowly formed. A girl formed out of shadow and leaves that was holding Jenny, and weeping.

But I felt dislocated, like I wasn't really there. I felt like I was on a knife edge, a precipice, a doorway, a threshold.

*Thresholds are meant to be walked through.* the Sorceress intoned.

As if in a dream, I stepped forward, and my power flared around me.

*But once opened, some doors cannot be closed.*

A black, ashy plain opened up behind Jenny and the spirit. And I could hear something, a whine almost too high to be audible.

Seraphina grabbed me. I blinked, and the doorway closed.

"You've got get out of here," she said. "I'll close the breach, cover for you. But go, now!"

Oh goddess! I'd messed up, and now Seraphina had to clean up after me, maybe even get herself into trouble. Because of me.

Luckily, self-recriminations didn't stop me moving. Broadway grabbed something from the warded area, and I grabbed Jenny and went off into the forest, hopefully away from the incoming forces. Special Operations had taught me something of how they tended to react, so I made my best guess as to where they'd be last, and headed off there.

After about ten minutes, we stopped. If they caught up with us by this point, they knew who we were anyway. And there we waited.

 

Broadway's communicator beeped. It was Seraphina. She'd contacted Broadway, not me. They talked a bit, then she rang off. Shortly after that, she joined us.

Jenny had been quiet since we left the glade, but seemed to wake up a little, become restless. "Could I see her again?" she asked Broadway.

Broadway looked at Seraphina, who shrugged. "I guess, as long as no one opens up a portal again," he said. He retrieved the focus from his belt. Jenny reached towards it. 

The scream of energies started up again, the girl appeared again. But this time, it went wrong. Black tendrils, crackling like fire, appeared, and wrapped themselves around the spirit, started dragging her off somewhere.

Help me to close *this* doorway, I pleaded with the sorceress.

*As you wish.*

And she helped me channel my energies, dampening the crackling, weakening the tendrils. Broadway and Seraphina also worked energies, almost unheard by me. They used the time I gave them to sever the tendrils, keep the spirit safe.

Broadway took a deep breath. "Let's get her back to the lab." 

Jenny raised her hand in protest. "I don't want to be alone again." The look on her face was almost heartbreaking.

I hugged her. "You're not. But we need a way to keep her safe." And preferably figure out what happened.

 

Time passed. I continued, both in the clinic and in the Special Operations training. I was torn. I liked the challenge of the training, but I wanted to be with Seraphina. I didn't want to disappoint her, leave her tuition. I didn't want to be a webhead and remind her of Alicia. And yet...

Broadway continued in his tuition under Seraphina. He managed to maintain the spirit here, but (to the best of my knowledge) he never felt safe enough to let her near Jenny again. But we cared for Jenny, all of us in the class, and we kept her here, with us.

 

Shall I tell you a story of an assassin, abandoned in a giant city, learning how to survive in the dripping water and the rusting walls? Lost, she falls, and in doing so, she survives and blossoms, becoming something greater than the weapon she once was. Finding herself, she rises, and ponders on what she is becoming, and on the taste of revenge.

 

Shall I tell you the story of a princess, alone in a palace, whilst always surrounded by others? Surviving plots and trickery through assumed weakness, avoiding a lethal marriage through skills unexpected by her new husband, only to find her kingdom in a war she does not want. It appears her once father in law is not giving up her jewel of a kingdom that easily. And so the socialite and girl becomes a general and woman, though neither in the fashion she would wish.

 

Shall I tell you the story of a sorceress, trained by a Facility to handle all manner of special circumstances? Part of a team, yet apart, lonely. I wish I could tell you more, but the sorceress is secretive and hides herself well.

 

And there is a final story to be told, though one not yet known to me. Hovering out there, on the edges of my consciousness. I can sometimes feel her there, ghostlike. I know nothing more.

 

I came back one day to my room to find Alicia there, sitting on my bed. Instinctively, I started to run.

"Stop," she said, softly.

I stopped.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

To say I was suspicious was to put it mildly. "What do you want then? You do know I'm going to have security go over this room, to make sure that you haven't put anything here."

"That's not why I am here." She looked up at the room. "Do you want to go talk outside?"

So she didn't want to be overheard. "Okay. I'm going to send a message, though, so someone knows where I've gone."

"Sounds good."

There was an awkward pause as I typed a message to Broadway. A couple of minutes later I got a response.

"You sure?"

I typed in an affirmative, then I looked up at Alicia. "Let's go."

 

The woods seemed much more ominous when I walking walking with Alicia. She still had her web tattoo, so I guessed that she was still working here.

I stopped, turned to look at Alicia. "Fine. What do you want?"

"You still talk to Seraphina?" Her voice was soft.

"Yes."

"Will you tell her that I want us to be friends again?" Her voice held pain.

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

"I've tried. She won't return my calls."

"Have you ever thought about why? You hurt her. You poisoned someone and abused her trust to get access to do it again."

She looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry. Please, tell her I'm sorry."

"You're an agent of someone else. Are you saying that you wouldn't do it again, if the need must?"

"You don't understand. I have loyalties. You're just a kid."

"I'm not too young to understand this. You're not sorry. You regret you lost Seraphina's friendship, but you're not sorry. You'd do it again."

Her voice raised. "You *don't* understand. Just, just tell her I'm sorry. That I want to be friend again." A pause. "Please."

"No. I'm not going to hurt her that way." I turned to leave. "Goodbye, Alicia."

My last sight of her was with her cheeks flushed. Maybe anger, maybe another emotion. She didn't contact me again.

 

Moons passed, and it was with a shock that I realised I had spent a year here. I had managed to visit home a few more times. The last time, I had even seen Kieran, though the meeting was strained. I had wanted to forgive him, but I guess my pain only allows me to go so far. But, hopefully, next time it will be easier.

 

It was about a week after that when someone knocked on my door. I was out of bed before I had properly awoken. Sarah raised her head, saw that I was up, and buried it again, trusting me to handle whatever. I walked to the door and opened it. Standing in the corridor was Evelyn. I couldn't swear to it, but she almost looked limned in a silver light.

"Come," she said, "You are summoned."


	12. Chapter 12

It was probably just as well I was wearing my day clothes in bed. Old habits die hard.

“Lead on.”

Evelyn turned gracefully and made her way down the corridor without any sign that she couldn’t see. There was a susurrating sound of magic surrounding her, an effect I hadn’t heard before. Something odd was going on and it didn’t feel threatening so I decided to indulge my curiosity. Besides, if I didn’t, something might happen to Evelyn. If I was there, I might at least be able to help.

She led me outside. There was a cool wind in my face, blowing my hair this way and that, but it hardly seemed to touch Evelyn. She wandered into the trees, effortlessly avoiding roots and bushes. Finally, she led me to a small pile of stones, with some flowers laid on top like an offering. She bowed down before it. When she stood up again, it was to turn to look at me, and her body language was completely different.

“Greetings, Keri.” She had a small knowing smile on her face.

I felt irked at whomever-this-was instinctively. “I’m guessing you’d be Athena.”

“That would be one of my names, yes.”

“What would your actual name be?”

“Names can have power, and knowledge can be dangerous.”

“And black can be white, and up can be down. None of which answers my question.” Apparently I was feeling in one of my less than diplomatic moods.

“Indeed.”

Goddess save me from people who loved to be cryptic for the sake of it. I already lived with the Sorceress. I really didn’t need another one. Giving up on that line of argument. “What are you doing to Evelyn?”

“She allowed me to use her as a conduit to talk to you.”

“Couldn’t you just have asked her to pass on a message? I thought that’s what goddesses generally did.”

“Time is short. I can only reach here in secret when there is a distraction.”

I looked around. The night seemed fairly calm. “What distraction?”

“Someone else is trying to contact someone in this place. I believe it is Broadway.” Huh. “It could also be Aleks. The three of you are linked.” Oh joy. Broadway I got on with, but the pyromaniac?

“It’s safe?”

“Evelyn will be unharmed.”

I waved a hand in the air. “So, what do you want to talk with me about, your divine-ness?” I may have been taking lessons in sarcasm from the Princess.

*Don’t try and drag me into this. I have nothing to do with this kind of humour.*

“You could say it is a family matter.” Athena said.

I sent a ‘Hah’ internally to the Princess.

*If you were imitating me, I’d at least hope that you would be *funny**

I’m fairly sure that she only speaks that way to me because she never gets a chance to do so in court. It’s just repression.

*I heard that.*

You were intended to.

I pretended that I had been considering the point to cover the time that the internal dialogue had taken. “What do you mean?” Maybe she’d just think I was a little slow. Given I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw Clank, this couldn’t be a bad thing.

“We are related, you and I.”

“Does that mean I’m a goddess too?” Because I feel distinctly less than divine.

*You don’t have to convince me of that.*

“There are some that would consider you so.”

“But you wouldn’t?”

“It is rather a matter of faith. Unfortunately, we do not have much time. Breaching the wards is not a trivial matter, and doing so without being detected is even less so. I would not lead your enemies to you. There are things you need to know.”

“Like who my enemies are?”

“You know that you are of the royal line of Amber.” It was not a question. "Let us just say that there are certain... frictions within the family. There have been and are a number of feuds; some bloodless, some not. You might say it's a family tradition."

“I’ve never met any of them. Why would they be my enemy?”

"It's not so much who you are as who you were," Athena said softly. "You used to be Sand." Inside me, something stirred. Memories as yet forgotten. "I cannot explain further right now, but suffice it to say that she *did* have enemies, and they would think nothing of transferring their grudges to you.”

Brilliant. Not only do I have to worry about things at school, I’ve now got people I don’t even know possibly trying to kill me. “Do you know who in particular has it in for me?”

“Benedict will probably kill you on sight. You need to avoid him. Fiona… might be a friend, but beware her and try and stay out of her debt. Corwin… probably isn’t hostile, but you can’t trust him.”

“Do you know if they have any agents in the Facility? Anything else of use?”

But she was gone, and Evelyn slumped towards the floor. I caught and steadied her before she reached it. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” she said faintly. “Did I do well? Did my lady do what needed to be done?”

“She’s no more a goddess than I am,” I said with a little asperity. “I mean, according to her, we’re related.”

*Oh well done. That’s done it.*

Evelyn eyes widened, and she looked at me with reverence. “You are of Athena’s kin?” She bowed done in front of me. Unfortunately she seemed to forget that I was still helping prop her up, and the sharp downward pull left me tettering for a split second before I steadied myself. “Please, forgive me. I did not know.”

I sighed. “What I meant…” I saw her expression, so full of faith, and gave up. “What I meant was that we need to get you back to your room. And if you tell anyone that I’m a goddess, I’ll smite you.”

Evelyn hid her head. “Sorry, my lady.”

“I didn’t mean it. I don’t have any powers or anything like that. I’m just another kid.” And I’m fairly sure that Athena isn’t anything greater, either. “Come on, let’s get you back to your rooms. You look like you need bed just around now.”

I exited Evelyn’s room at speed. I had managed to get her back here, and I was just about to leave anyway, when she made like she was going to pray to me, and zoom.

*That’s really what the universe needs. The first Church of Keri the Bitch.*

Everything I learned, dear Princess, everything I learned.

My communicator went. It was Broadway. As per usual, he had nothing to say on air apart from wanting to meet me outside in the forest.

The first thing I saw as I approached the glade was light glinting off a reflective surface. So I wasn’t particularly surprised to see Seraphina there when I got closer. Great, whatever it was, Broadway had gotten her involved. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t help. I just worried about her getting hurt one of these days.

“So, what’s happening?”

Broadway showed me a card. There was a man painted on it. A very average looking man – brown hair, plain features. The kind of guy you might imagine if someone said ‘unremarkable’. I distrusted him on sight. The card hummed with magic.

“This was placed under my door in an envelope.”

“I guess it wasn’t for James.” There was something nagging at me.

“No, it had my name on it.”

“Well, what’s it do?” I figured out what was wrong. I didn’t distrust him on sight – that was the Assassin’s feelings leaking through.

*He looks like an agent.*

Thanks. Okay, that was officially creepy. I never wanted to feel the Assassin's emotions as my own again.

“It’s a kind of magic called a Trump card. If you concentrate upon it, you contact the person linked to it, mentally.”

“So, it’s like leaving someone’s mobile number. Have you phoned him?”

Broadway correctly parsed my sentence. “Yes. It doesn’t lead to this guy, though.” He indicated the image. “It contacts a guy called Mandor. He seems to be an important man from House Sawall in the Courts of Unification.” He sounded a bit hesitant, and glanced towards Seraphina as he did so. I kind of empathised with him about asking the only person we knew, but I was still angry with him. More so, really. The politics of the Courts seemed to be deadly, judging by Alicia and her cohorts. Seraphina had come here to escape that. I didn’t want Broadway dragging her back into them again.

“I take it he wanted something.”

“Yes. He seemed to think I was the Crown Prince of the Courts. Someone called Merlin. I told him he was wrong, of course. He didn’t seem to believe me though – he thought I was just playing a game with him. Even my appearance didn't seem to matter, he thought I was just shapeshifted.”

Seraphina spoke up. “Merlin was supposed to have been assassinated about eighty years ago by agents of Amber. It’s one of the things that led to the recent escalation in the war.”

Huh. Of course, that made a certain amount of sense, to me at least. “What if he’s right? You could be reincarnated, or something.”

"Really?" Alas, mere words cannot convey the disbelief he imbued his reply with.

"I'm guessing he had some reason for thinking that. And something weird may have happened, that, I don't know, caused him to be reborn in you."

*I see you've missed your calling. We should have *you* teach the lessons on magical theory.*

Broadway looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned towards Seraphina. "Is such a thing possible?"

"It's controversial. It's never been proved, but there have been suggestive accounts. It's a matter of faith, one might say, and faith is a matter of deadly dissent within the Courts. I'm undecided. I've never encountered it myself."

I was going to kill Broadway if he suggested having Seraphina investigate the possibility, because I knew if asked, she would. Thankfully, for all our sakes, he did not. Instead, his attention seemed to turn inwards, as though he was meditating.

"Were you present when he contacted this Mandor?"

"No," Seraphina said. "He called me afterwards. I do hope he knows what he is doing."

"I guess we'll see. I'm guessing Mandor won't just give up."

"I don't know. Probably not, if he's already gone to this effort."

Broadway decided to slump over sideways at this point. We both rushed over. I laid him out properly, made sure he was breathing and hadn't swallowed his tongue whilst Seraphina checked him out magically.

He stirred, and clutched his head. "Ow."

"What happened?" Seraphina and I asked, practically in chorus.

"I felt a memory, just out of reach. So I reached for it. Doing so hurt."

"What memory was it?" One of this Merlin's perhaps?

"Do you remember Janek? He was a fellow student Madrigal had told us about who died."

I vaguely remembered the story. She had brought it up around the time that Sarah was poisoned. Janek had been a guy in her class, with a bad attitude and an aptitude for self healing. One day, he had suddenly bled out. They had never been told why.

"I think so..."

"I think I had some of his memories."

"Maybe you've had multiple incarnations."

"The times wouldn't match. He was here only a few months before we were collected."

"I don't know, then. What do you think's happening?"

He just shrugged. Seraphina didn't have any ideas either, but thought that Broadway needed to go to bed. He didn't protest, which basically confirmed her diagnosis. I helped him back to his room, then headed off to my own.

Broadway caught me the next day. "I had a look at his file. Apparently he was the son of Corwin. Either they don't know what happened to him, or didn't put it where I could access it. But why would I have the memories of someone from Amber? I don't have any of that signature to my abilities."

I could confirm that. His powers felt ooky.

I shrugged. "I thought you liked mysteries."

"I like discovering the truth behind mysteries. Mysteries I haven't solved just irk me. Like what's going on at the Facility."

Before he could get too far into his dire predictions about the motives of the Facility, I cut him off with a quick "Sorry, have to attend a lesson! See you later!"

Son of Corwin, huh? How odd that should come up just now.

"I've asked you here because I've decided to grasp the bull by the horns," Broadway said. "I think I need to talk to Mandor, either to convince him that I'm not Merlin, ro to find out what he knows."

"And Seraphina is here to back you up magically, whilst I'm here for anything physical?" I asked. I was distinctly less than impressed that he had asked Seraphina here, but I couldn't exactly stop her now that he had. And at least if I were here, I might be able to protect her.

"Exactly." He got the card out of his backpack and concentrated on it. It started to hum louder and then he started talking. It was a bit of a one-sided conversation, and I have to admit I was paying less attention to that than to anything that might be approaching us. I trusted the other two to pick up anything magical. Finally, he was finished, and tucked the card away again.

"I explained it to him, but he still thinks that I'm Merlin. Something about my signature is familiar. He offered to go into my mind to break down any barriers there."

"Let me guess, you declined his kind invitation."

"How did you guess? He also said that he was contemplating taking up a teaching position here that he had been offered."

"So we get to meet this guy. Cool, I guess."

*Of course, if he's that important in the Courts, I'm guessing it's not by chance. Which means he thinks that being here will do him more good than being in the centre of power,* the Princess mused.

He could just be doing it for the good of the Courts.

*Of course he could.*

What do you think he's hoping to gain, then?

*With a bit of luck, he's just hoping to discover the heir to the Courts and gain power and status from his valiant rescue.*

And if he's not...?

*Then things could get really interesting.*

"If you're planning on breaking down the barriers yourself, would you mind reporting to the infirmary first? You could damage yourself again." Seraphina worried in Broadway's direction.

"I'll think about it." Which meant 'No, not unless the first attempt turns bad', I internally translated. 

I didn't comment, because, quite frankly, anything that kept Seraphina away from the political trouble magnet that Broadway was swiftly becoming was all to the best as far as I was concerned.

Mandor duly arrived on campus just over a week later. He was a fairly good looking, I guessed, based on some of the other girls' chatter, with a shock of brilliant white hair. I didn't have much contact with him - he mainly tutored advanced use of powers. I wasn't unhappy about this. He smelt like trouble.

"Have you seen the ghost?" Mac asked, excitedly. "I've seen it. Have you seen it?"

"What ghost?" Apparently I'd missed the latest class gossip whilst I'd been off visiting home.

"There's a ghost wandering the halls of our living area at midnight." Mac practically bounced. "He looked like a kid who died in the other class."

"Janek?" Oh come on. This can't be a coincidence.

"I think that's what the Hive called him. They were there too! It was cool! Even if I couldn't get him to tell me the secrets of the grave. Or even react to me at all, really"

I managed to get a location out of him. Maybe I should wait there tonight myself, I mused.

I should have known that it wouldn't be that simple, I thought, as Mack enthused next to me. I hadn't actually told him that I was ghost watching, but either he had shown astounding perspicacity and realised that I was coming here tonight, or he was just coming here every night at the moment. I was possibly being unfair to him, but I strongly suspected the latter.

"-think he might teach me to walk- Oh! He's here! Look! Look!"

Indeed a ghostly figure was walking down the corridor towards us. I looked at my communicator. It was indeed midnight. It was a dark haired youth, with a scar down one side of his face, advanced remorsely.

"Oh, he's never done that before. He usually just walks through a wall. He's looking at us! He's coming to us! Wow!" Mack advanced towards the ghost. He looked so utterly heartbroken when the ghost ignored him, walking partially through him, that I felt sorry for him.

Janek's ghost stopped in front of me. "You must save the Pattern," he grated. A series of white lines flashed before my eyes in a memory I never had. I stumbled a second. Janek then saluted me in a very military manner and about-stepped and walked through a wall.

"That's just not fair! I come and see him every night, but does he talk to me? No. He talks to you." Mack paused a second. "Hey, do you think you could teach me how to speak to ghosts?"

"Sorry, Mack," I shrugged. "No idea how. Maybe I'm a relation or something." 

Mack looked thoughtful. This could only spell trouble. 

"Anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I waved him goodnight before he could try and entangle me in anything.

"Have you heard that Janek's ghost is wandering our living quarters at midnight?" I asked Broadway the next day.

"No. You've seen him?"

"Last night. He did react to me. Told me to save the Pattern."

"Huh. I might take a look myself tonight."

"Will you be fine, or do you want me to tag along?" I kind of hoped not. I was planning to spend the night on the rooftops. I hadn't done that in a while, and I was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

"Don't worry. What's the worst that could happen?"

That night, I was awoken by a rumbling and tearing sound. I looked blearily at my communicator. It was midnight. And above me red fiery cracks opened in the sky.


	13. Chapter 13

You know the sound of nails scratching down a blackboard? That was pretty much the sound the cracks gave as they ripped into the ever present hum of the Facility wards. Louder and louder, until I thought my eardrums would burst. Then nothing. The wards were down.

I noticed that I was curled into a ball, trying to get away from the noise. I rolled to my feet and grabbed my backpack. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I needed to warn the others. I jumped down from the platform, catching myself on a windowsill and used the momentum to accelerate quickly to full speed. A low, almost subsonic sound started up, making me feel nauseous. Bright white lines etched themselves into my vision, forming a swirling pattern, which, before I could stop, shattered, leaving darkness. Something, somewhere had broken. Something important. I think I lost consciousness for a second.

When I opened my eyes again, I was falling. By instinct I managed to catch myself with one hand and my backpack with the other before I even realised what was wrong. The world had twisted around ninety degree. Beneath me stretched the forest, and beneath that the starry void crossed with lines of red. As I looked, the nearest trees groaned, creaked, and tumbled downwards. A tremendous crashing from above me gave me just enough time to fling myself under a protrusion outwards which had been the raised platform I had been sleeping on to avoid the worst of the debris as the trees which were now above me fell under stresses they were never designed to take. Masonry and branches rained past me as I vaulted further into what had been a dip on the roof. Most of a tower came within feet of me as it sheared off the platform I had been sheltering behind. I needed to get out of here.

The world abruptly righted itself. A sudden pain blossomed in my right leg as a half brick arced to the roof. The crashing and splintering noises subsided. I slowly rose to my feet, ready to dive back downwards if gravity shifted again and tested my leg gingerly. It hurt, but should still support me as long as I didn't ask too much of it. It felt like the lull before the storm.

The fourth presence inside me roused, for the first time that I could remember.

*This is just the beginning. Now the invasion starts.*

My stomach lurched. I needed to run, to get out of here. I couldn’t go through this again. I heard a keening noise, and realised it was coming from me.

I stopped. Took a breath. I was older now. If I was going to run this time, I could take people with me. Seraphina. My classmates. I swallowed and tried to ignore the part of me that wanted to just flee.

The presence held my hand as if I were a child, and whispered: *This is the way we walk.*

I stepped forwards, the world twisted and I was in our living quarters in the midst of chaos. Why was I here? I needed to be with Seraphina.

**This* is where you need to be.*

Oh great.

I was just about to walk to Seraphina when she added, *Think. Seraphina is just one person. If you want to rescue your friends as well, they need to survive until you get back.*

As she forced me to start thinking logically, the blind panic subsided. She was right. If enemies came here with everyone like this, my classmates would be easy prey. My imagination painted the corridors with blood all too easily. I swallowed. I spotted Broadway, stumbling, looking confused. Aha. I grabbed him.

"You've got to get everyone organised. There's going to be an attack." I thought quickly back to my lessons with Special Operations. "The common room. Get everyone in the common room, and barricade the doors."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get Seraphina. She might be hurt. I've got to make sure she's alright." She must be fine.

"I'm coming with you."

"Me too," Sarah said.

If Broadway wanted to come with me, and quite frankly I could probably use the help, I needed to find someone else to organise the defence. I ran back out into the corridor, and into Clank. Perfect.

"Grab everyone, and get to the common room," I ordered. "Once there, start barricading and organising defences."

"Is Sarah fine?" he asked.

"Yes, but she's coming with me. I need you to make sure we have somewhere safe to come back to." He paused, still uncertain. "Quickly! I don't know how much time we have!"

He moved off down the corridor, shouting in the way only he could. Maybe he had a megaphone installed in his chest. I could see people starting to make their way to the common room. Good.

I turned back to the other two.

"Come on, let's go." I fixed Broadway with a beady stare. "Just don't use your active senses." That was the last thing I needed.

He got a slightly offended look on his face. "I do know better than that."

"Good." I concentrated, and moved forwards.

This time it was different. Whereas my trip here was instant, just floating on a ripple, to travel with the other two, I had to punch a hole in the liquid of reality and drag them through with me. Visually, it looked like a tunnel of light. A little disturbing, really. But I managed to get us there, to Seraphina's quarters.

All the furniture was piled up against one wall. It took me a split second to realise that the figure standing wasn't Seraphina, that the figure he was standing over was, and in that time the Assassin had acted. She threw my belt knife - a thick bladed kitchen knife - at the man, the blade sinking deep into his body. The impact span him around just enough for me to recognise him. It was the tech support conspirator. His gaze focussed past me, to my right, where Sarah was. Magic hummed around him, and he straightened as though I hadn't hit him at all.

I couldn't let him hurt anyone else. Not Seraphina, not Sarah. I let the Assassin loose.

He started towards Sarah, knife in hand. The Assassin leapt towards him, and brought my booted foot down hard on his knee. He couldn't get to her if he couldn't walk. I felt bone crunch sickeningly under my heel. He staggered, but rightened himself and just kept on moving. He raised the dagger to impale Sarah, but the Assassin span around and with one hand, she forced his hand upwards so his dagger imbedded in the wall, and the other slammed into the elbow of that arm, crunching it against the wall, destroying the joint.

Just then, power crackled from Broadway and the hum of the man's magic cut out. He slumped to the ground, and the Assassin raised my heel to slam down on his neck as a natural and graceful continuation of her spin. I seized control back over my body and almost fell over. I left myself exposed, open attack... but the man remained slumped on the ground, blood slowly spreading from his body.

Oh goddess. I hoped he wasn't dead. Things started catching up and my legs felt all rubbery. I found the wall with my arm in what I hoped was a controlled manner. I felt like throwing up, but took a few deep breaths, and concentrated. Seraphina was on the floor, still. She couldn't be dead. She couldn't be.

She was alive. Breathing slowly, shallowly, but alive. Her refraction was off, stained. I wished I had spent more time nursing, but even I could tell that she was poisoned. Broadway waved his scanner at her.

"It's a contact poison," he pointed at one of the stains. "It's paralysing her system."

I think I remembered how to treat this. I needed to get her to the infirmary. Standing up... was a challenge, but I needed to do it. And I did it.

"Bring the attacker," I asked Broadway. I didn't want him to die if I could help it. But I had to care for Seraphina first.

The infirmary was in chaos. The pile of equipment and files had been cleared away from the door, but had otherwise been left more or less untouched. Everyone seemed either too busy or too injured to take a look at Seraphina. I dragged her to a bed. I needed a stimulant. She'd told me something that worked on her... I saw what I wanted poking a little bit out of a pile in the corner. I checked the gently glowing crystak out visually, and hummed to it. The tone came back pure. It hadn't been damaged. I held the crystal just above her skin and hummed to it in a more complex refrain. Sympathetic vibrations apparently could have a variety of interesting effects on her system. I blushed as I remembered why I had stored that particular piece of information away, but luckily I could distract myself easily enough with her care.

Soon enough, she stirred and opened those brilliant eyes of hers. "Keri?"

I hugged her. "You were poisoned. I think you should be fine. But, please, can you check yourself out?" I don't trust myself.

She smiled at me. "I am sure you did a great job. But fine." I handed her the crystal.

I checked the assassin. He was in bad shape. I wasn't sure, but I thought the damage might be worse than just the injuries I had inflicted on him.

A wave of something like terror passed through me, and for a second I just wanted to run. But I was stronger than this. I could hold on, for now.

I touched the communicator. "Maria?"

She took a moment to answer. There was noise in the background. "What? I'm a little busy."

"Get to our common room. We're heading out."

"Uh... I'll see what I can do." She rang off.

I contacted Clank. "Situation?"

"Good so far. I've gathered most of our class in the common room as per instructions, ma'am."

I scowled at the communicator, but if he was being sarcastic, he was *very* good at hiding it. "We'll be along shortly." I wanted to see if I could anything for the man in front of me.

I heard the hum of power from Seraphina's room. I looked over at Broadway.

"Someone's making their way into Seraphina's quarters."

Time to run. I lifted Seraphina to her feet. Broadway grabbed the attacker. I punched a hole through to the common room and stepped through.

Qais was in the middle of organising my class mates. He kind of stuttered to a halt as we appeared in a halo of light.

"Keri?"

"Large as life. The world wards are down, and I can travel. We're getting out of here."

"We're supposed to make our way to the designated secure quarters and hide there."

I couldn't be in a tight space again whilst the world burned around me. I wouldn't be. "There are no safe places left. If the world wards are down, whoever is doing this is capable of cracking them."

He looked unconvinced, so I ignored him and turned to the rest of them. Everyone was here except Maria and Madrigal. A shriek of power sounded from the wall of the common room. A tunnel of light opened up.

"Disrupt it," I shouted to Broadway, and picked up and threw a settee down the tunnel in one easy motion. There was a blast as Broadway channeled his power into the tunnel. The tunnel collapsed. I let out a breath. I had hoped one thing or another would serve to disrupt the concentration of the person coming. Apparently I was right.

Broadway contacted Madrigal. Apparently she was off elsewhere, dodging hostiles. Broadway and Clank started disassembling the coffee maker to make a crude teleportation device.

"Hello?" Maria's voice came from the other side of the barricade.

“Hang on a minute,” I went over and touched Clank on the shoulder. “Is there a way to open the barricade from this side?”

He nodded and indicated what looked like a light switch poking out from a mass of wire.

“Thanks.” I left him to get back to the teleporter.

I flicked the switch. With a groaning and grating noise, the barricade slowly opened. Maria was there, along with three others I didn’t recognise – a rangy dark haired man armed with a long bladed sword, a giant of a man with a big spiked mace carried comfortably in one hand and a two handed sword slung over one shoulder and a blonde woman with a rapier standing at the rear.

As the woman’s eyes met mine, she went pale. “Juliette?” she called out. “No, she can’t be,” she muttered, and turned away to face the way they had come. “I’ll... make sure that we don’t get surprised.”

The two men looked after her, then shared a look, meaning unclear.

The rangy man stepped up to me. "I'm Corwin. This," he gestured at the big man, " is Gerard, and the lady is Florimel. Are you Juliette?"

"No, my name's Keri." I remembered Athena's warning, but it wasn't as though I had any reason to trust her.

"She's one of the students here," Maria offered.

"What do you want here?" I asked bluntly.

He laughed. "Someone who gets right to the point. How refreshing." He sounded amused. "Maria, my niece, called me when things went to hell. I'm here to help."

Ahuh, I thought. From what Seraphina said, this was supposed to be a neutral place. I could just imagine what suspicious people on the other side of the war might think of his motives. And I didn't really want him around just in case he got the idea of settling a few old grudges. "We're good here."

He obviously didn't miss that I wasn't letting them in. "We came here specifically because we were tracking an unfamilar Pattern signature. You might be in trouble."

I shrugged. "That was me, so, no, we're not." Maria's eyes widened a little. Apparently first year students who hadn't been initiated weren't supposed to be able to do that. I imagine there'd be gossip about that later, but she didn't say anything.

"In which case, let me welcome you to the family," came Florimel's voice from down the corridor. "You certainly seem to have the basic distrust down. I imagine you'll have a long career ahead of you."

*It sounds like a proper home from home. Or family from family.*

"Thanks, I think."

There was a sucking noise and Broadway disappeared, along with the remnants of the coffee maker. I raised an eyebrow at Clank. He gave me a thumbs up, which I hoped meant that was supposed to happen. A few seconds later, there was a bang, and Broadway with Madrigal clamped tightly around him, her cat balancing on his head and the ex-coffee maker reappeared. It was smoking gently. I guessed we weren't going to be getting any more coffee out of that, and if we were, I wouldn't be drinking it. Madrigal detached herself and the cat leapt gracefully down to the ground.

An odd low sound vibrated through the floor. "What was that?" Broadway asked. "People arriving using Logrus?"

Seraphina nodded. She pulled out her communicator and talked into it. After a short conversation she looked up at us. "It's House Hendrake troops, come to 'help out.' They're one of the more warlike houses of the Courts of Unification."

"We need to get everyone out of here, now." The fear was back, and worse. This place was turning into a battlefield. Qais and Maria didn't look happy at the idea, but most of my classmates just looked uncertain. I don't think any of them had been in a similiar situation before.

"Go. We'll stay here, and keep an eye on things," Corwin said, pushing Maria gently in our direction. She glared back at him, but moved. I decided that this was good enough.

"Qais, if you want to stay, be my guest. Everyone else, get into a group behind me, and just follow."

Qais shuffled into the group with everyone else. He didn't look pleased, but muttered something about having to go along to keep an eye on them.

Finally, I could give in to my instincts. I took a breath, concentrated, then punched a hole in liquid reality and ran.

 

I ran past the point where my muscles started to burn, past the point where the rush started past the point where it ended. I continued until the only light I could see was a tiny circle of light at the end of thr tunnel of my vision, until I couldn't go any further. For the first time in years, I was alone in my head, the voices drowned out by the light and the pain, and I felt almost transcendental, like I was on the verge of a great revelation. A question seemed just out of reach, but if I could just stretch a little bit further, I might be able to grasp it.

Then my legs gave out, I slumped to the ground, a hard concrete ground, littered with rubble. Travel time was over, and the idea with it. For a few minutes, my vision greyed out completely.

"What is this dump?" I heard Siren ask as though from a great distance.

My vision cleared a bit. I managed to look up at the ruined building around me. It seemed vaguely familiar. Then it came to me.

It should. I was back in my childhood home.

 

I know what the question was now, of course. It was such a simple question too. Why I had never thought to ask it was, of course, part of the answer. The question was '"Where did the voices in my head come from?"

 

There was a hand in front of my face. It took me a second to realise that it was Maria's. I gave her my best attempt at a smile and accepted her help in dragging myself to my feet. I didn't want to stay here, but I was too tired to make another tunnel and a group this large walking through the city would attract trouble.

"There's a basement here we can fortify."

I started to walk, but almost fell over as my legs went to rubber beneath me. Maria caught me and hoisted me up again.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. You look in bad enough shape that even Qais could beat you."

"Gee... I'd like to come up with a snappy reply, but I'm not feeling up to it."

"You *must* be tired. You sure you don't want me to carry you?"

I attempted to glare in her direction, but apparently it wasn't that effective because she just grinned at me.

She guided me over a mess of what looked like semi-melted bones in the hallway. My mind skittered over what they must be. Luckily I was tired enough that it just registered as a dull ache. And then we were out, in the fireblackened hallway that connected the apartments on this level. I pointed to a doorway. "Stairs are that way."

Mack bounced through it followed by Clank.

"Um..." came Mack's voice

"These stairs are unsafe." intoned Clank's.

"I guess there's some lift shafts over there." I pointed in the other direction. "Maybe we could... do something."

Between them, Broadway and Clank started work on an automated pulley seat to take poeple downstairs.

Maria propped me up against a wall. "You good?"

I nodded. I was already feeling a little better. I might even be able to walk without support. If only I didn't want to just curl up and cry.

She headed towards the liftshaft. "I'll go down to clear the area. I'll shout up when I've had a look." She looked over at Qais. "I'll be relying on you to keep this lot safe, so don't mess it up."

Qais raised an eyebrow. "Try not to make too much noise when scouting." They had a mutual glower, but it lacked their usual heat. Maria dropped out of view noiselessly as far as I could tell, though I was still somewhat distracted by the roar in my ears. My eyes closed almost of their own accord, so I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard someone next to me. It was Seraphina, looking concerned as I stumbled away from her.

"Uh, hi," I said from the level of the floor I found myself on.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but otherwise fine," I lied. "Not too bad for a first jaunt."

"No," she said slowly. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but settled for, "I'd like to check you over, if you don't mind."

"Sure." I closed my eyes, but Seraphina's touch failed to bring the happiness that it generally did. I tried to relax and just think of nothing. I didn't want her to see me upset. I really didn't want anyone to see me cry.

"Area's clear." I jumped again, and my eyes sprang open. For a moment, all the shapes around me just wanted to make me run, but I squashed that part of me. Looking around, I saw that Maria's face had appeared over the edge of the lift shaft. "I'll go down again, and make sure that people can come down safely." Her head disappeared again.

Broadway and Clank stood next to a pulley system partially imbeded in a wall. When did that happen? Had I been asleep without realising it? My blood chilled as I realised how vulnerable I had been. I used the wall to get to my feet. I didn't want to risk falling asleep again.

I was the third person lowered down the lift shaft. I could see the ghost of the foyer I remembered amid the fire blackened walls and one partially collapsed ceiling. It felt a little like I did. I was remembering why I had never come back here. Too many things I just didn't want to think about.

Someone cleared their throat next to me. I turned towards them, flinging my arm up in front of me defensively, backing away a step. It was Maria, looking halfway between amused and concerned.

"You alright? I haven't seen you like this since you came."

"I'm fine. Just..." I gestured in the air.

"The attack?"

"No. It's just... complicated." I didn't want to go into this. Not now. Not here.

Maria looked at me for a moment, then stuck out her hand. I looked it at it for a second before she added "I believe you have a basement to show us. If I could assist...?"

I gave her the best smile I could, and managed to take her hand. Everyone had made it down by this point. I led the way downstairs to the basement. I was relieved to see that the reinforced door had survived intact. Broadway squeezed past us to work on the door. In a minute, he had picked the lock and opened the door. The room beyond was pitch black Broadway fumbled inside his backpack, and brought a light out, casting shadows around the room. As I remembered the boiler dominated the room, but there was enough space for us to squeeze in.

We filed down into the room. Clank closed the door, and he, Broadway, Qais and Seraphina set up all manner of wards and more technological defences. Nothing would find us here without us realising it, and it'd have a nasty surprise if it did. I found a corner to back myself into. Despite knowing these people, trusting them, it still felt too confined in here with them. Maybe it was the ghosts of my parents, still here. I closed my eyes to stop anyone seeing the tears glinting in the lamplight.

The first thing I was aware of when I woke, before anything else, is that I hurt. Not physically, though I realised that I was still exhausted in the next second, just emotionally. And then I remembered why, and had to stifle a sob. I was furious at myself. It had been years since... it had happened. I didn't know why it was affecting me now. But I couldn't let it affect me.

"Keri," came Broadway voice, and I realised that that was the second time I had heard it. The first had awoken me. I was feeling too tired to move, to flee. I had just enough energy at this point to open my eyes and look at him. "Sorry to disturb you, but Seraphina doesn't think that the assassin will last much longer. lf we want to question him, we'll have to do it now."

"Okay," I answered. "Let's do this."

 

Seraphina, Sarah and Siren were already sitting down next to the man who had attacked Seraphina. As Broadway helped me over, he nodded to Siren. "Let's do it."

Seraphina injected the man with something. He stirred and opened his eyes. Big mistake. He was staring directly into Siren's blue eyes, and she had him.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Elijah of House Parvaine".

Broadway looked at Seraphina. She shrugged. "I've never heard of it."

"Who are House Parvaine?"

"We were a house, before House Ilairis had us outlawed and hunted down. But we survived, and we had our vengeance." His lips curled.

"Had you outlawed?"

"Yes. They saw that we were involved in a plot against the King, and revealed us." How evil of them.

"Your vengeance?"

"They may have been seers, but they were hopelessly naive politically. People may want you to discover their enemies secrets, but most are more afraid that you might learn theirs. It doesn't take much to fan those fears. Once they were outlawed, just like they had done to us, we hunted down the rest. Apparently we missed one."

Broadway said, "Ask him if that's why he and Alicia tried to kill Sarah."

Siren did so. "No. The people I work for wanted to encourage her visions, to see what they revealed. I increased the dose, to kill her and make it look like an accident."

"Did Alicia know?" Even I could hear the pain and hope in Seraphina's voice.

Siren repeated the question. "That bitch? No. She had me fired, both from the Facility and our employer's service. After I had finished Seraphina and Sarah, I was going to settle my debts with her."

I could see the relief on Seraphina's face in the halflight. She murmured, "Thank you," and sat back against the wall.

"What do you know about the attack on the Facility?" Broadway asked.

"Nothing, I was casing the Facility to get in and exact my revenge when all the defences went down. It was just a piece of luck."

"Ask him what he did when he attacked us. Magically, I mean," Broadway asked.

"It's an old family ritual. It makes contact with an entity that rides me, grants me skill in combat and an imperviousness to pain."

"Ask him the details of the ritual."

Siren did so, but as she extracted the details out of him, he started gasping. Seraphina started tending to him, but it was quickly obvious that he was dying. His lips started moving and the hum of magic surrounded him.

"In the name of House Parvaine, I vow my vengeance on House Ilairis and all their heirs. Death shall not stop me. My hand shall strike her down..." He went limp, but the hum of magic did not abate.

Broadway cursed and reached into his backpack. He had somehow managed to store the gadget he had created from the coffee maker. He fiddled with it a second, then pointed it at the corpse of Elijah. With a pop the body disappeared, and the machine started to pop and spark. Broadway dropped it, and the machine fell apart in burnt pieces. I guessed we weren't going to get anything else out of it.

We all looked at each other. Sarah looked pale. "Do you think...?"

"I think the effect was centered on his body," Broadway said.

Clank came over and held her. "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe." Sarah was stiff for a second, but then relaxed into his arms, looking like she needed all the comfort that she could get. I realised at this point that everyone in the room had been listening in. Great.

Seraphina looked at me with her heart in her eyes. "Do you really think that Alicia might have been innocent?"

"I guess it depends on how you define innocent," I said a little grumpily, then relented. "But, I guess, maybe."

"I... I'll have to apologise to her." But she looked as though she were looking forward to it. I tried to be happy for her, but a cold pain lodged in my chest and just grew. Nothing to do with Seraphina and Alicia, of course. This place, it had too many memories.

"Sorry," I tried to smile. "I need sleep."

Seraphina smiled distractedly, and I found a corner to sleep in. It wasn't hard, I lost consciousness almost instantly.

I didn't remember my dreams, but they burned like ice.


	14. Chapter 14

A moment of confusion, a dull ache and then I was awake, eyes open in the semi darkness. There was a low murmuring across the room between Qais and Uno. Thankfully Mack and the Hive were asleep, otherwise the murmuring wouldn’t have been nearly as quiet. I just lay there for a while, not wanting to move, to acknowledge even to myself that I was awake. That I was back here. Then I got up. I really didn’t want to, but I needed to go upstairs.

As I approached the door, Qais said, “You shouldn’t go out by yourself. It isn’t safe out there.”

“I know. I’ll be fine. I’ll be back later.” I didn’t want anyone else around for this.

“You’re not alone now.” Qais, doing his version of being understanding. I didn't need that right now. He'd obviously read my file. For that matter, so had I. It didn't mention what this place was.

The ice within me compressed and ignited. “What do you know about it?” I snapped. “Just stay here and look after the fort!” I opened the door, and slammed it behind me.

The sleep had helped me recover enough that climbing up the lift shaft to my parents' apartment didn't present much of a problem. Taking that first step back inside, however, seemed almost crushingly difficult. I just stood there, looking at the entrance, for what seemed like hours, the doorway slowly dissolving as my eyes unaccountably filled with water. Finally, I closed my eyes and stepped forwards almost like falling.

Their bodies were both better and worse than I remembered. Better because my memory and nightmares had twisted their conjoining into something far more horrific than reality could convey. Worse because despite the twisting, the burning and the passage of years, I could still see remnants of my parents in their bodies. Her favourite earrings, his watch, a few remaining strands of her hair, the bone structure of his face. Any hope, however faint, I might have had that they had somehow survived, was finally extinguished. Apparently your parents can die even if you refuse to look.

I slowly became aware of someone behind me. I guessed I should be scared, run, but I couldn't muster the energy to react. A hand was gently placed on my back. I turned my head to look around, almost happy to have an excuse to do so. It was Maria.

"Hey, kid."

I had to laugh. If only it hadn't come out as more of a sob. "You're not that much older than I am. What are you doing here?"

Maria shrugged. "We were worried about you and, let's face it, if you were going off on a run, no one else was going to be able to keep up with you." She paused for a second, looking uncertain. "Did... you know them?"

"They..." I bit my lip. "They were my parents." I couldn't hold it in any longer and burst in tears.

"Oh crap." Maria awkwardly held me in her arms as I cried myself out. In some distant part of myself, I thought that I was going to be *so* embarrassed about this later.

 

The city skyline had acquired a new feature, a glowing green tower, I observed, as I sat at the top of the remnants of apartment block. The chanting and the hum of magic was also new. It didn't feel immediately threatening, so I put it out of my mind. If it was a problem, I was sure that Seraphina and/or Broadway was already on top of it.

Maria stood next to me, also looking out. "So this is where you grew up."

"It wasn't always like this."

"I remember. From your file. It must have been hard."

It had been a nightmare that wouldn't end. "I don't like to think about it."

Maria looked at me with worry on her face. "Well, if you need to... if there's anything I can do to help..."

Bless her cotton socks. She really was trying. "Thanks. I'll be fine." I rubbed my eyes one last time, just to make sure they were clear. "Anyway, I guess we need food. Luckily, I know where we might be able to get some." Maria was still looking at my face with a frown on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I thought that it was just a trick of the light earlier..."

"What was?"

She held my right hand back-side up next to hers. My tattoo was dark grey compared to her black. The magic in them was fading. "We need to get you downstairs for examination."

 

Seraphina finished her examination of me. "The restraining magic appears to be fraying evenly, which means that the chances of a catastrophic breakdown are fairly small. Your magic doesn't appear to be flaring out of control. I don't think that there's anything to worry about at the moment." She looked around at the rest of the room. "I think I need to check the rest of you, just to be on the safe side."

It turned out that the tattoos of both Broadway and Jenny were also fading. Seraphina wasn't worried about Broadway - like me, his breakdown appeared to be stable. Jenny was another matter.

"At the current rate of breakdown, we have two, maybe three days before there is a serious danger of a flare out." Seraphina told us after the tests were done. We now had a time limit. Having something to worry about almost felt good.

 

"I'm sorry to put this pressure on you, Keri," Seraphina told me, "but my birthright abilities can only transport a few of us at a time. Your powers, which are somehow initiate level, are much more appropriate." She frowned a little. "You also seem to be able to travel much faster than I am able to. It's quite a puzzle."

"It's fine. Anything I can do. Can you... can you monitor me to find out if my birthright abilities caused this?" I gestured around. "As you know, when I was captured by the Facility, the worlds around here were falling apart. I guess I worried that I caused this." And that I caused the others to come. But I wasn't going to say that out loud.

"I'd want to test and monitor your abilities before you took us back anyway. But I don't want to do this before you've recovered a bit more. You really pushed yourself yesterday." She looked at me with concern.

"We've got to get Jenny back, though."

She pursed her lips. "We'll start the tests tomorrow," she decided. "With a bit of luck, you'll be up to taking us back tomorrow afternoon."

My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't gone out to hunt breakfast down yet. "I need some volunteers to come with me to get some breakfast. Hunting experience preferred. It can get dangerous out there."

*Nothing can stay your appetite, can it?* The Princess sounded more rueful than caustic.

You've been quiet.

*I've lost my parents too, remember.* I could almost feel her bite her lip. *We all have. It's still too raw for me. Sorry.*

So am I. So am I.

Maria stood up, of course, as did Broadway. I vaguely remembered that he had grown up having to survive in devastated technological world as well, though his world's apocalypse had happened some time before his birth. We had a hunting party.

 

"Do you see that?" Broadway asked.

I eyed the direction in which he pointed. The only thing I could see was a body, lying on the ground. "I don't think so."

"I can see the ghost of Elijah. I think that must be where I teleported his body." He seemed to shiver a little. "Let's go another way."

Oh joy. We had a vengeful spirit on the loose. Just in case this place needed to feel a little less welcoming.

 

I waved the others to silence. There! I heard a faint skittering of claws on concrete. I indicated silence, then advanced in the direction that I heard the noise. Sure enough, there was a small pack of dogs that had a brief fight over a rat corpse before one sneaky hound managed to snaffle it whilst two larger dogs snarled at each other. The ribs of all the dogs were painfully thin, in much worse shape than I remembered them being. Pickings apparently weren't good.

Maria and I moved silently into position, then all three of us attacked and solved the dogs' food problem once and for all. They wouldn't be that good eating, but some fresh meat was always better than none.

 

"What do you want?" I asked Broadway.

He'd indicated that he'd wanted to speak to me privately. I'd led us to a shopping centre and suggested that we split up and look for food. I knew we wouldn't find anything - it had been picked over by every band in the area several times over - but it gave me a chance to talk to Broadway privately.

"We've got a chance to escape the Facility. We could just leave and no one could stop us."

I considered it, but... "You can. I've got to stick around to get the rest of the class back."

Broadway regarded me with disappointment. "Don't you want to escape anymore? Have you given in?"

I felt a little indignant. "Nothing of the sort. But I can't just leave our class *here*, can I?"

"I guess not."

"Anyway, I can just not take you when I take the rest of the class back. That way hopefully no one will notice that you're not with us until we get back to the Facility. You might want to check that you can travel through shadow, though. You don't want to be stuck here either."

"That's a fact. Well, I guess we should see if there's anything here worth taking."

There wasn't.

 

"Foods here," I announced as we got back to the basement. I had raided some of my old stores of cans. The first store had gone, probably found by another band, but the next two were intact. The cans I collected should keep us in food for a few days. I'd also shown Broadway another cache, just in case he needed to find food for his escape attempt.

"Dogs?" James asked, traumatised. "You killed cute dogs for food?"

That took me back. I remembered when I had had that reaction to the thought of eating dog. Then one day I had scented the delicious aroma of roasting meat in the ruins. Sneaking up, I saw a group of survivors roasting a dog. I had wanted so much to go down there, to eat until my stomach hurt. But I didn't because I knew they would have attacked me. So I had gone off and hunted down my first dog, the rest of the pack fleeing before my fury and my hunger. That first taste of half raw, half charred meat had still tasted like ambrosia. It had been the last time for a long time I had thought of a dog as a pet instead of a meal on legs.

I smiled at him. "Sorry. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. There's enough cans."

"Good." He scrambled to his feet and away from the carcasses. He was so innocent. I remembered being that way. It stung before fading to numbness.

"Qais, could we have some wards upstairs so we can cook without attracting anything?"

"Such a thing is simplicity itself to one of my talents."

"That's good to hear. I'll know who to blame if we do have company."

"Thanks," Qais replied dryly.

 

It tasted like half starved dog cooked on a spit. The tinned potatoes and sweetcorn weren't too bad, though. Certainly I didn't have any problems, even if the sentiment wasn't exactly shared by those who hadn't had to survive on whatever they could catch. Still it would be nice to get back to properly cooked foods, whenever and wherever that was.

 

Through the evening, I noticed Broadway take various of my classmates off one by one, so it wasn't until later that I got to speak to him myself.

"Sarah and Siren would also like to take the opportunity to leave the Facility."

Sarah wasn't much of a surprise. I wished her the best of luck. "Are you sure she's better?"

"Not completely, but Clarence is coming with us too and has some ideas about how to help." Broadway frowned. "I'm worried about him too. I think he's only coming along because of Sarah."

I thought it was sweet.

*That's because you haven't seen how romances can turn.*

"Um... maybe he can return if things don't work out."

"That's what I'm worried about." Broadway looked grim. "He might be able to lead them straight to us."

I tried not to roll my eyes a little. "Well, I'm sure we can work something out."

He held out his hand. I looked at it for a second, then took it. "Thanks, Keri. You've been a real help this last year. I just wanted to say that now in case we don't get a chance later."

I felt a little embarrassed. "No problem. You've been a great help too. Let me know if I can do anything else."

"Will do."

 

"I think you're recovered enough to use your birthright powers now," Seraphina said, the hum of magic underlining her words. It was the next morning, and I'd slept the night through. From what I remembered of my dreams, I almost wished I hadn't. They hadn't been this bad in years.

"Great," I said, trying to turn my mind to other things.

"We'll run the tests away from the shelter. The wards would inhibit your powers, and their use might attract attention."

"Could I test my birthright powers as well?" Broadway asked, Seraphina gave him a funny look. "It can't hurt to have someone else capable of worldwalking, and my glyphs are fading too. Hopefully my powers are stable too."

"I suppose." Seraphina ruminated. "But I know Logrus shouldn't allow that until you've been initiated. And as far as I am aware, you haven't been initiated."

"I haven't as far as I know."

"You would know." She smiled a little bit. "It's very hard to miss." She looked around. "Would anyone like to come alone? I'd like to run some tests on how stable the walking is when transporting other people. I'm aware that the dropoff in stability when transporting other people is far less with Pattern, but I'd like to get some readings. I'd prefer to avoid Keri falling unconscious again if I can avoid it." Sarah stuck her hand up and, after a second, so did Clank. She raised a crystalline eyebrow. "No one else?" Apparently no one else was eager to be used as a test dummy for worldwalking. To be honest, I think Clank was cautious enough that he wouldn't have volunteered if Sarah hadn't. "Two should be enough for a baseline. Let's head out."

 

"I'm not really familiar with how the powers of Amber work," Seraphina confessed. "Just from looking how you travelled - it's completely different to how I would be able to travel. And that's another thing. Your Sight seems to act through the medium of hearing rather than vision. How do I translate my lessons to fit?" I think most people would have thought that she was calm. To me, she seemed one step away from panic.

*I think we are seeing the beginning of a new study course for your beloved Seraphina when things return to normal.*

Oh hush.

I began to worry. What if she couldn't tell if I was about to do something disastrous? What if I managed to shatter a hole in the world and kill everyone present? I had managed to get everyone here, but what if it was just a fluke? What if? What if?

*You can do this,* the sorceress spoke.

Are you sure?

*Yes.*

*What you *need* to do is to calm Seraphina down,* observed the Princess. *She's out in the field, and she's not used to being in charge. Hold her hand, and tell her that you're confident that she'll be able to cope.* She paused a second *You are, aren't you?*

Of course. I was somewhat offended at the implication that Seraphina couldn't handle this.

*Then tell her that.*

I took a breath, caught one of her hands in mine and put my best smile on my face. "You'll manage. I have faith in you. Figuring this out is what you do." My best smile wasn't that good at the moment, but it seemed to help. Seraphina's hand relaxed a little in mine.

"Thank you for your support." She still seemed a little uncertain.

Ummm... what now?

The Princess sighed. *Get her focussed on solving the problem, not wondering what she should do.*

Thank you.

"How are you going to monitor the stability of my power use?"

She relaxed completely as she looked thoughtful. "I've had a few ideas about that..."

 

Worldwalking using Pattern was unlike anything I had ever really done. Walking was kind of a misnomer. It was more like falling whilst drowning. You didn't so much run as try and guide your headlong motion whilst your whole body was burning like you had just sprinted a marathon. And that was just a small walk. Ironically, it sounded like Logrus travel was much more my cup of tea. From Seraphina's description, it was all about finding handholds and footholds in reality on instinct, always keeping on the move. Something I could relate to.

At least carrying people didn't seem that difficult. From Seraphina's warnings, I expected it to be a lot worse. I hardly noticed Clank and Sarah travelling along with me. Seraphina pronounced herself satisified with the stability of mr powers and power usage, then moved onto Broadway. To my great lack of suprise, he proved to be very adept at Seraphina's lessons, even managing to carry other people with him, apparently not an exercise for beginners. All seemed to be going well.

 

A buzz of power sounded around Broadway. It sounded like that magic card he had used a couple of times. As I glanced towards him, his eyes lost a little focus and suddenly Mandor was in his arms, looking distinctly worse for wear. Both Seraphina and I rushed over towards them, as Mandor coughed blood all over Broadway. I grabbed Mandor and lowered him to the ground and Seraphina started looking him over. Mandor was pale, with dark blotches crossing his skin, shivering and spasming uncontrollably, but he didn't look injured physically. There was a sickly, wet bubbling sound of some power I had never heard before coming from him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Seraphina answered absently. "Some kind of infection, power based, is devouring his body from the inside out."

I closed my eyes for a second. Can you help? I asked the sorceress. In answer, she took my hands and my mouth.

"I'll damp down the power," I found myself telling Seraphina in a calm voice. "Be prepared to work around the field." Still not looking at me, she nodded, and the sorceress used my power to emit a dampening field that muffled the bubbling noise. Mandor immediately relaxed, and Seraphina got to work.

Something moved in my peripheral vision. It might just have been a plant moving in the wind, but my old instincts told me that this wasn't the case. Our power usage had been noticed, and the others were coming in for the kill. I wanted to move, to run, to get out of here, but even without looking back at Seraphina, I knew that this wasn't going to happen. She wasn't going to move a patient when he looked like this, and I, I wasn't going to leave her. No matter how much I wanted to.

"Broadway," I murmured. "How good are you at making a distraction?"

"Fairly good," he considered. "Why?"

"All this has drawn some unwelcome attention." I nodded over to where I had seen the movement.

Broadway looked, then rootled around inside his backpack and retrieved something that looked like a set of binoculars with more attachments. He then peered around using his contraption. "Ah. I see."

He went over to Clank. "We've got some unwanted visitors coming to pay a visit. Do you think you could set up a warding device?"

Clank moved protectively in front of Sarah at the very mention of trouble. Sarah looked a little irritated before his bulk shielded her from my view. He looked around, saw a few wrecks of cars still on the road. "Should be able to, yes. What are you going to do?"

Broadway smiled. "I'm going to give them something else interesting to look at." He reached into his backpack, and pulled out a small flying drone I'd seen him playing with earlier.

 

"I'm glad to see that gone," I commented, the cacophony, both audible and magical, fading as the drone disappeared into the distance.

"It will certainly make it easier to concentrate on the patient," Seraphina said.

"How's he doing?"

"I've managing to isolate the infection. I won't be able to cure it without access to proper facilities, but when I've finished it should stop the spread for a while." She worked for a few seconds then added. "I'll need to get back to the Facility as soon as I can. Do you think you're up to getting the rest of the group back?"

I thought and nodded. "I think so."

"Good. I'll just finish up here, then." She settled back into a near trance like state.

Meanwhile, we had to contend with visitors. Apparently, Broadway's lure had only managed to distract most of the local others. One particularly large specimen, so encrusted with rotting fingers it looked almost like a sea anemone, rushed towards us. I was just about to pick up Seraphina, whatever shoudl would wish, and leave when Clank put his hand on my shoulder and held me there. Say what you like about him, if he holds you somewhere, you're not moving.

"Wait," he just about had time to say before the other hit the wards Clank had put up, and recoiled in a shower of sparks. There might have been a trace of a smile on Clank's face as he surveyed his work. "Thought that would hold."

After that, I felt a lot better about staying put for a while. Not completely better - I still wanted to run every time an other charged us, and visibly flinched to boot - but at least I didn't act on my impulses.

It was a about ten minutes later when the buzz of magic from Seraphina dampened down and she looked around. "I think that's about as good as we're going to get without proper resources."

I took that moment to voice a worry that had been gnawing at me for the last ten minutes. "Um... Broadway, I don't suppose you could check Seraphina over with active Sight? Just in case this infection, whatever it is, has spread to her?" I hadn't said anything before because being actively scanned is a not unintrusive experience that could throw off delicate manipulations.

He concentrated and then seemed to lose focus.

"Broadway?"

He started. "Oh, yes. I think so. Just a touch. Concentrated around the lungs."

Seraphina scanned herself, then used power. "There. I've managed to eliminate it at this initial stage." She then scanned the rest of us. "Keri, you've got a minor infection in your lungs. As have you, Clarence... and you, Sarah." More power. "Broadway, you've got a somewhat more extensive infection in the region where Mandor's blood touched you, but I've managed to eliminate it too."

"Can the two of you rig up a breathing apparatus, so he doesn't infect anyone else?" I asked Clank and Broadway. They thought, looked at each other, and nodded. They quickly put together something with what was in their backpacks and fitted it over Mandor's head.

"If he throws up again, we'll need to take it off him," Seraphina noted, "But we can handle that if and when it happens. I'm going to try and contact the Facility and go through."

She took out one of those magical cards, concentrated and seemingly went into a trance. About five minutes later, she put the card down again, conspicuously not having disappeared.

"I can contact the Facility now, but it's still being disrupted. Travel is very dangerous. Most people who have tried have had it fail mid transport. Mandor is very lucky to have made it."

"You mean that the people who've tried it have failed to get out?" I asked, hoping that that was the correct interpretation.

She paused a second, looking down at the ground. "No, most people who have tried it died." She didn't elaborate, but I could imagine. Oh, goddess. "Let's get back to the others."

 

Evading the small pack that had found us wasn't actually that challenging. We were all of us fairly quick on our feet, the pack was still wary from the wards and I managed to discourage the first few that tried to follow us with some well aimed blasts from the Tesla gun. After a bit of evasion and false trail making (less than I would like, but we did have a patient) we were back in the cellar.

It took half a second for everyone to realise that we were returning with more people than we left with, and only slightly longer for the female contingent to realise who we'd brought back with us. Mandor does seem to hold an almost inexplicable attraction for the other women in my class. I can't really see it myself. Granted, the men took only a little longer, but still. I swear the estrogen count skyrocketed in the room.

"Can everyone please be quiet?" Seraphina asked to no avail.

"Silence!" Maria snapped, and the class subsided.

"Thank you, Maria," Seraphina smiled at her thankfully. "We've had news from home. The battles is going well. The forces from Unification and Amber, as well as our own security forces have managed to work together to repel the invaders. It's still dangerous, though. There have been losses, though. Mr Knowles, in particular, was killed in the fighting."

Mr Knowles, dead? It seemed impossible. He was always so indestructible. He'd even managed to stare Aleks down. I'd never thought... I should have brought him along too.

*He wouldn't have come, you know.*

He might.

*He wouldn't. He was an old warrior. I've seen that type before.*

If I'd asked him to come along to protect us...

*He probably would have come along at that. But then other people would have died.*

But it wouldn't have been him.

*It wouldn't have been him.*

Seraphina had paused. The mood, formerly excited, had plummeted at her words. I think a few other people had said something or other, but everyone was quiet now.

"I'll need to return as soon as I can. There are a lot of people in need there, and I need to take Professor Mandor back to proper facilities. You'll hopefully be able to return yourselves in a few days. We'll send word."

"Would it be possible first to move us to a better location?" Broadway asked. "This place isn't secure."

Seraphina thought, and nodded. "That's a good idea. After today's tests, I'm certain Keri can transport you all safely."

"I'll look for a good world then. It'll be good practice."

"I'll go with you," Maria volunteered. "Somone had to keep you safe."

They left the basement, and headed upstairs. They were far enough away that when he worldwalked, I couldn't hear the pulse. I made my way to a corner and huddled there, away from the others, feeling hollow. Someone else I knew dead. Maybe I could have saved them, this time. But I hadn't.

 

"I hope you'll like these digs much better than our last ones," Broadway announced as, following his directions, I brought us into a palatial room featuring sofas, cushions and what looked like a television that filled up almost an entire wall. He was clearly trying to make an effort to lighten the mood, and, to be fair, it did feel good to be away from that place. I still felt like shit though.

"We each have separate rooms. Choose one - they're all fairly similar."

"That's because I've already grabbed that one, the biggest," Maria added.

"And thats mine," Broadway said, indicating another door. "There's a shower through that door, and a bath through that one. You can order food from this device," Broadway indicated a phone.

"And I control the TV. Any questions?" Maria finished with.

There were, of course, but I ignored them, and sat down in a big plush chair. Afterwards, whilst Seraphina was going over arrangements with Maria and Qais, Broadway approached me.

"When you go off to the Facility, do you think you could pick up a few things for us?" he asked in e low voice.

"Sure. What?"

Broadway handed me a list. "Here's what we came up with," It was mostly sentimental items. Broadway wanted a few books, including one that Seraphina gave him on powers. Sarah wanted a necklace and some rings from her room. Clarence wanted some mechano-magical items from his room. I guessed that they had some sentimental value, but I didn't know. Siren didn't seem to want anything.

"Another thing," Broadway added after I folded the piece of paper after scanning it. "When I looked at the disease infecting Mandor, I recognised it."

"Oh. Where from?" I didn't bother asking which book. It wouldn't mean anything to me anyway.

"I had a vision." Oh. "I had this disease. I had been infected. I had gone to see a woman, called Whisper. She was you. Kind of." He paused a second. "I wanted her to kill me."

"And you thought of me? How sweet." I was tired of death.

"No, I mean, it was him and Whisper. Not you. I, I mean, he was worried that no one else would do it right. And bad things might happen."

Such as being turned into a plague bomb. Who knew how these things progressed. I was certainly in no hurry to find out. "Thanks, I think."

"I just wanted you to know. Since you seem to be a believer in this whole past life thing." He paused. "Maybe we'll see him again. Mr Knowles, I mean."

It made me feel a little better, though something within me told me it wasn't that simple. "Thanks. That helps."

He smiled a little at me, "Good."

 

"Do you feel up to taking Mandor and I back?" Seraphina's voice broke through my daze. I really needed to get a good night's sleep sometime soon. Maybe they had industrial strength sleeping aids here. I could do with a night without dreams.

"Sure," I rose to my feet.

Seraphina took the breathing apparatus off from around Mandor's head. "It'll break down during cross world travel," she took my inquiring look, "and we won't have either of the technomancers there to repair it."

I waited until she was done (she handed the gizmo to one of the lurking Mandor fangirls, Siren in this case, who sighed and held it to her as though she had been handed Mandor's pants), then I picked Mandor gently up and said, "Let's go."

The sensation of falling through worlds.


	15. Chapter 15

The Facility looked like a wreck from the vantage point of the meeting glade. Towers had fallen. Various areas were collapsed. And an area I was fairly sure had been an indoor garden was now a rubble strewn pit in the ground. Smoke hung over the facility like a pall.

*I'm *so* glad you've learned to think in cliches.*

That impression *might* just be heightened by the fact that I can also smell rotting flesh.

*Oh, is that what that cloying smell is?* The Princess sounded distinctly ill.

No, that's something different. I'm not sure what that is.

Somewhere deep within me, something stirred. I got a feeling that *she* recognised the smell. For a moment, the urge to just grab Seraphina (and Mandor) and just flee overwhelmed me. That might not have had anything to do with her, though. It could just be common sense.

The Facility felt… fragile. That’s the best way I could think of how to describe it. It was still a rock of stability compared to the world I had left, but even I could definitely feel that something was badly awry. The fact that I had been able to just worldwalk in was bad enough – normally the wards would have stopped that. The almost silence on the magical level I was used to was replaced by a low level discordant jangle of many imperfectly formed sorceries and wards, none quite working with each other. Actually, several seemed to be actually actively clashing.

*Ah, politics.*

Oh, I hate that word.

 

Seraphina looked uncertainly at the mess.

"I had heard it was bad...", she trailed off.

"I was thinking it looked fairly intact, all things considered." She shot me a quick look to see if I was joking. I shrugged. "It wasn't looking that great from the outside when we left."

"I have just never seen anything like this." She paused a second as she realised where we'd just been. "Oh, I am sorry. I did not mean... I meant..."

I smiled a little to try and deflect the pain. "That's alright. I guess it wouldn't seem like much if you'd never seen it when... before."

She looked apologetic, "I am being so thoughtless. I have just been so busy."

I couldn't help but smile properly this time. "No problem."

"No, it is not. When this is over, when I have some time, do you want to talk?"

Not really, but she was so earnest. "I guess."

She gave me a searching look. "Good. I will hold you to that."

Um. "Anyway, time to get to the clinic. Still in the same place?"

"Apparently." She sounded a little uncertain. "The internal transport is still down, though, so I am not sure how to get there."

"Don't worry," I smiled. "You're talking to one of the experts about getting places in the Facility unconventionally."

 

"I did wonder why you always carry ropes with you," Seraphina said a little nervously as she dangled midway down a cracked shaft.

"Don't worry," I huffed a little way above her. "I know what I'm doing."

"I thought you only tended to work alone."

"Mmmm... true. But I occasionally had to haul heavy things, like dead animals, to fairly inaccessible places to keep it safe."

"Oh." She sounded a little faint.

*Not helping, Keri.*

"Um... and I didn't like it tenderised. So you should be safe!"

*Really not helping.*

"I'll just try and remain still, then."

I was probably on a losing battle here. "Let me know if you see a corridor down there. It should be... about another three metres."

"I think so. It looks partially collapsed, though."

"Is there enough room for you to stand?"

"Yes. I try and swing to it."

I held the rope to the sound of crystal hitting rock and the rope went slack. "Are you alright down there?"

Silence. My heart skipped a beat.

"I think that the platform is stable," came her voice after a minute. I went a little slack with relief. I didn't *think* that anything had happened to her, but I couldn't see her, and you never knew.

"Untie the rope, and I'll see you in a few minutes."

A minute or so later. "Done."

I pulled the rope up, and tied Mandor's unconscious body to mine and clambered down. The passageway was mostly blocked, but there was a duct running above the corridor which I knocked in to provide enough room for us to squeeze past. Our progress was then blocked by a security door. Seraphina waved her card in front of it, pressed some coloured runes to one side and the door slide open.

The sharp smell of a hospital wafted in along with the cries and whimpers of patients. Seraphina immediately made for the central area and started getting updated as to the current situation and what she needed to do *now.*

She had just about enough time to turn to me and say, "Thank you, Keri. You have been a great help. Leave Mandor here and get back to your class mates. I am sure that they will be worried."

It was fairly obvious that the situation wasn't as under control as she had made out, but equally obviously she was hoping that I wouldn't notice and wouldn't worry. I did, of course, dreadfully, but there was no way I was going to be able to drag her away from here somewhere safe and I didn't think it would do any good to let her see how upset I was.

I hugged her and said, "I guess I'll see you in a couple of days." She hugged me back a little awkwardly, then moved away to get cleaned up before starting to work. I laid Mandor on the ground where she had indicated and left quietly. I wasn't going back just yet, but she didn’t need to know that.

 

“Oh, it’s you,” a tall rangy man said looking down as I made my way back up the lift shaft. Corwin by name, if I remembered correctly.

“Yes, it’s me.” I raised my eyebrow. “Who were you expecting?”

He shrugged. “I sensed someone entering the shadow by Pattern and came to see who it was. Keri, was it?” I nodded. “Pleased to meet you.” He offered me his hand as I made an effort to jump up and over the lip of the shaft and onto my feet in one movement. Not too bad, if I did say so myself.

I took his hand. “Likewise.” He gave the air of seeming to expect that I would remember him and his name. Arrogant bastard. I did, but that was hardy the point.

"I don't believe we've been introduced. Not a proper family introduction, anyway."

*We were told that to gain higher initation, the royal family of Amber do require an oath of loyalty. I'm guessing that he's wondering why he hadn't met you around said swearing in. Say 'Indeed.'*

Umm... "Indeed."

He shot me a look. Oh, this wasn't over. And I wasn't sure even the Princess could play this game when she didn't know the rules.

*Quick, distract him. Talk to him about Janek.*

"You're Janek's father, aren't you?" He nodded cautiously. "Did you know that his ghost is still here?"

"What?"

*That's hooked him.*

"I'm sorry. He's walking the halls at night. I can show you if you wish."

"Take me there." Say what you like about him, but Corwin certainly had command presence when he wanted to. I found my feet moving before I consciously willed them to. I guess we were going to see Janek's ghost.

 

"Here we are," I indicated the stretch of corridor where I'd seen Janek's ghost and turned to face Corwin. "We'll have to wait, though, he only appears near midnight." Corwin went rigid, looking behind me. "He's just appeared, hasn't he?" Looking around, sure enough Janek's ghost had appeared, stumbling towards us.

"Janek," Corwin said, completely ignoring me.

"Father," Janek replied.

"I'll just leave you two to it. I've things I need to do, anyway." I wandered up the corridor, turned the corner and hid. Yeah, I had things I need to do. But information on my new relatives was potentially invaluable.

*I've never been so proud of you.*

I also might find out something about who was killing them off.

*Excuses, excuses.*

Shhhh. I'm trying to listen.

*My baby girl...*

I ignored her very loudly and she subsided, though I could feel her amusement.

 

A noise came from behind me. I span around, just in time remembering *not* to leap away from it and into the full view of Corwin. He was distracted, but I was fairly sure not *that* distracted. Standing ghost like in the corridor was Evelyn. Her body, anyway. Evelyn was definitely *not* in. She paused, her hand still outstretched towards me. I put my finger in front of my lips, and nodded towards the conversation floating around the corridor. Evelyn, or should I say Athena, raised an eyebrow quizzically then made a 'Come here' gesture with her outstretched hand. Ah well, I wasn't that interested in overhearing Corwin's family problems. I followed.

After we had gone a decent distance, Athena stopped and turned back to me.

"I am glad to see you made it through the troubles."

"I'm glad to see Evelyn did."

"I did my best to make sure she did."

I knew Evelyn was fine with it, but the whole possession thing really creeped me out.

*I wonder why. Especially now.*

I also really didn't need a back mind psychologist.

"I'm glad she's fine." You freaky, freaky body snatching *thing*.

"As am I."

"So, why are you here?"

"Well, firstly, I wanted to make sure that you were fine."

I looked myself over. "I seem to be fine."

"Good." She smiled. It looked odd, as though the movement was made for a different face. Just like *them*. I panicked, started to run, only to find my feet frozen in place.

*Sorry,* the Princess apologised. *I don't think it'd be a good idea to give her a handle on our weaknesses. Now take a breath.* I tried to, only to find myself still locked out of my body. *Internally.* I imagined taking a deep breath. It helped.

"Secondly," she continued, "I have become aware that your abilities have been revealed to others of the family." She said 'family' in the same tone that other people might say 'mafia.'

"Corwin, Gerard and Florimel. It was unintentional, but kind of necessary."

"Regardless, it means that you are going to be approached."

"Approached how?"

"I'm not sure. The usual offer, to gain access to your birthright abilities, would seem to be ineffective. But they will approach you."

"Accepting their offer would seem a little unwise. Didn't you say I had a relative who would kill me on sight?"

"Benedict. Being a full member of the family would offer you some protection. He could not simply attack you if you had been accepted by Eric."

"But he'd know I existed and have some idea of where I was."

"Just so. Your honed instincts for survival should serve you well."

Oh great. "You make the prospect sound delightful."

"Regardless, you are going to need to know more about the family. Oberon was my father. He is still the person that everyone thinks of when you say the king, no matter what Eric would like. He was killed by agents of the Courts of Unification. Eric is the current King. He is generally considered to be, to quote Corwin, 'an arsehole, but a competent one.' Corwin, when not commanding a strike team in the Facility, is the Commander of the Home Guard. He and Eric are more alike than either would like to admit. The land route to Amber is dominated by the forest of Arden. Julian commands the forces there. He likes to style himself unemotional and always in command. Benedict is the general of all Amber's forces. Relentless and remorseless, he has devoted his life to war. Deirdre is the commander and warrior priestess of the Maenads, a psychotic and feared force of women. She is thought to be more than a little touched herself. Amber is primarily a port city. As such, two of my brothers command the fleets. Gerard used to command the Northern fleet, the bedrock of Amber's defense. He is as solid and complicated as the roots of the mountains. Caine used to command the Southern fleet, the explorers and attack fleet, as suits his cunning and treacherous nature. Caine was recently injured, extremely badly, and their positions have been reversed. Florimel has the role of Amber's ambassador at large, Wherever we need heavy diplomatic firepower, she will be there. Every word out of her mouth will be the truth, but they will rarely mean what you think they do. Amber has an underwater reflection, a city beneath the waves called Rebma. Llewella is kin to their royal family and as such she is Amber's liason there. Fiona is the court sorceress, enigmatic and powerful, necessary but not trusted. Brand is a more of the kind of sorceror who spends his time away from the court. I do not know what he does for Eric, but Eric would not let an asset slip through his fingers so easily." She took a breath. "Did you get all of that? There will be a test later. Unfortunately not by me,"

Did you get that?

*Did you really need to ask?*

So, who do think you think she is?

*Assuming she is one of the above? I have my ideas.*

But you're not going to tell me, are you. Pure smugness answered me.

I nodded in response. "Well, I'm planning on leaving here soon. Seraphina seemed to think that my control was sufficient."

"Then doubtless they will also make an offer."

"I'm not really sure what they can offer me."

"That will be your choice."

"Thanks. What's your interest in this?"

"I knew you. In a past life. We were friends."

"If we were friends, you'd trust me. I don't even know your name."

"One of my names is Athena."

"But that's not your real name, is it?"

She was silent. I decided to change the subject.

"Past life?"

She gave me a quick, grateful smile. The Princess repressed my shudder. "Past lives were something we worked on together. When I was young. She... you had a unique gift, You could remember much more of your past lives than anyone else could."

"In that life."

"It apparently had happened in her prior lives too." She tilted her head. "Are you saying that you have not experienced this too?"

Something niggled at the back of my mind, but I couldn't quite reach it. "No. Nothing like that. As far as I know, I don't have a personal magic."

"Interesting." I got the sense that somewhere, she was making notes.

"Florimel called me Juliette. Could she have known me in a past life?"

"It's possible. I do not know the name. I have lost track of you since you died. Coming back here made it easier to find you."

"Back here? You mean I've been to the Facility before?"

Again, that shy *wrong* smile. Ugh. I'll never get used to that. "We were tutored here together." She looked pensive. "It was a different place then. It is much better now."

Um, yay? I remembered Seraphina telling me about the girl with the cobweb tattoo. "Was this about sixty years ago?"

She shook her head. "No. Much earlier. Why?"

Quick, evade. "There was a girl here around that time who looked a lot like me. I just wondered."

"I had not heard about her."

"She died."

"I guessed. She would not be a possible past life if she had not. How?"

"I don't know. I wasn't able to find out." I shrugged and smiled. "They don't tend to tell students much here."

"That much, at least, has not changed."

I had to smile at that. "I never thought we'd be bonding over something like that, it has to be said."

"You would be surprised at what we share."

Abruptly I was unamused. "Probably. But that's because you've told me almost nothing about you. How can I trust you if you won't even share your name?"

She was quiet for a second or so. "You probably should not."

"Well, I guess that's honest."

"Do you know how to contact people across shadow?"

"Not really, no."

She handed me a card. On the picture side was a stylised picture of a huntress with an owl. Broadway's books said that the pictures on them were of the contactee. Call me cynical, but I doubted she would actually look like that if I met her. Thus making a majority of said cards that I had encountered that shared that particular feature. "Do you know how to use this?"

"Concentrate on the image?"

"Good." A slight hesitation. "I should probably go. The longer I spend here, the greater the chance of detection."

"I guess I'll see you then. Preferably not inhabiting the body of one of my friends."

"Goodbye, then, Keri." Another pause. "You can call me Llewella." And then she was Evelyn.

*Hah. I was right.*

You'd say that anyway.

 

I stood among the ruins of our secret laboratory.

*It still cracks me up that you think of it like that. So melodramatic. I would have never thought you had it in you.*

You know, I do believe it's time to mention poetry.

*Poetry?*

The kind that tends to be hidden under the bed.

A slight pause and then *You do realise this means war.*

You haven't been the only one digging around in someone else's mind. I'd suggest you consider the full implications of that before you make your next move.

*You wouldn't.*

Try me. Wasn't it the assassin who tried to teach me to take no prisoners?

*You utter bitch.* There was a certain amount of respect in her voice.

Thanks! I flashed her a mental grin.

Dust and rubble coated everything. There was so little left of the things that we (okay, mostly Broadway) had constructed over the last year. The dormitories had been almost intact by comparison. I had been easily able to grab the mementos that Clank and Sarah had wanted. Here, here I just hoped I would be able to find enough of the book to give Broadway some memento of Seraphina's gift to him. At least I had experience at searching through rubble.

I knew where he had kept it, so the location wasn't a problem. Moving rubble, cautiously, was a little time consuming, but likewise not too difficult until I got to the bottom of the pile and found a large slab wedged against the floor and wall. Luckily, I never go anywhere without my trusty crowbar. With a lot of effort, sweating and more than a little cursing, I managed to topple the slab away from the wall, to reveal the somewhat crumpled remains of the bookcase including by some miracle the almost intact book. If Broadway complained about the dust, I'd let him get his own damn stuff next time.

 

"Oh, you're back," Siren said as I walked through the door to our apartment. She looked disgustingly clean and relaxed. "You *have* to try the massages here. They're to die for." She stretched languidly.

As dust covered, tired and generally out of sorts as I was, I had a brief impulse to follow through on her words. I settled for a somewhat flat "Thanks" and went to dump my stuff (as well as the assorted oddments of the others) in my room. Over the last year I had become rather attached to steaming hot showers, so I decided to seek one out immediately. Hopefully that would also ease the kinks in my muscles. Then I might see about one of those massages.

Later, much later, I reclined in the soaking pool. That felt much better.

*I *have* to get one of these installed at my palace.* That should have been something of a shock. Certainly it was the first time I could remember her, or anything of the others, talking about something that was happening to them. Instead it felt completely normal, somehow.

You mean, after you manage to win that little war you're currently losing.

*Thanks. I'm still learning. It doesn't help that my general turned out to be a traitor.*

Look on the bright side. You wouldn't have survived that little revelation without the aid of the Assassin.

*I am, trust me. I just wish I'd placed a bet with the palace bookies on me surviving my first month. I'd have enough money to actually pay for the war effort.*

Well, anything I can do to help you.

I felt the twist of her lips. *I think you're already performing an invaluable service in the form of comic relief.*

Oh great.

*Yes, if you ever come to visit, I'll offer you a great job as court jester.*

I'll bear it in mind.

 

"I've gathered you here because we have a crisis," Siren announced to the girls of the group. "We have probably less than one day here before we have to return to the Facility. We only have a very short time to get some proper shopping done."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "Truly a crisis of epic proportions."

"I'd quite like that," Sarah said quietly.

Madrigal stroked her cat as it purred lazily. "I guess I could always do with a new cat collar." The cat bared it's teeth and hissed. "Oh hush, you."

"Keri?" Siren asked.

I considered. Given that Siren and Sarah would, goddess willing, be disappearing off soon, this would be our last party together. Shopping normally wasn't my thing - I'd spent too many years picking through the ruins of shops to be excited by it any more - but... "Sure. I'm game."

Siren gave a little squee. That was just wrong.

 

I was surrounded by clothes and feeling more than a little lost. Siren had guided us to a series of clothes shops, and from there we'd dispersed. Looking around, I could see the others trying out various garments but I had yet to settle on even a single thing for myself. Maybe I just failed as a girl.

*Come on! It can't be that hard.*

I didn't notice you giving any advice.

*That's because I tend to view clothes as making a statement. I'm not really sure what you'd be trying to say.*

Um... I'll get back to you on that.

*I like that dress over there.* The Assassin said quietly, indicating a frilly and totally impractical dress that looked like it'd split if you breathed too hard.

*Oh...*

Dear Goddess, I completed, feeling as stunned as the Princess had sounded. The Assassin? Turning out to be the fashion conscious one amongst us? Bwuh?

*I like pretty clothes,* she said, a trace of defensiveness marring her usual impassiveness. *I was just taught that they were not for me.*

Oh. I see. Well, maybe you could help me come up with a wardrobe, then.

*Mission accepted,* she said utterly seriously. *Now, let's start over there. I remember seeing some *very* nice shoes...*

Yes, things were definitely changing among my sisters.

 

"Keri! I would never have guessed," Siren said, eyeing the huge collection of bags and packages I'd managed to accumulate during the trip. A vaguely curious expression crossed her face. "How are you actually managing to carry all of those?"

"Practice," I replied. "It's useful being able to bring home a lot of supplies when you find them." I was unable to get a tune out of my head. It almost sounded like Assassin humming happily to herself, but for the sake of my sanity I decided there must be another explanation. "You haven't done too badly yourself, I see."

"Ah, but you see, *I* invested in some staff," she said indicating a pair of well built young men with glazed expression who were carrying her purchases.

Maria was looking at the two of us with a certain amount of amazement. She'd managed to acquire a couple of tunics, some trousers and a nice pair of practical boots. "Why?" she asked, simply.

"Because it's fun?" Siren asked. "And because, let's face it, the only people who would actually be happy wearing what the Facility give us would be the terminally fashion dead."

Maria looked like she was thinking about arguing but recognised that stepping out on to that particular conversational terrain was likely to be a trap and declined to go there.

"Now that we've got all these new clothes, we really need to show them off," Madrigal said.

 

"I'm supposed to be keeping you lot safe," Maria groused.

"Keep us safe then," Siren retorted.

"How am I supposed to here?" Maria shouted back above the loud music playing in the club.

"Relax. Enjoy your last night of freedom."

I had a certain amount of sympathy for Maria's point of view. There were so many people, and it was so loud and dark that even if there was room to move properly I'd have problems telling if anyone was sneaking up on me.

*Exactly. It's a hunter's environment.*

Yeah, well, I'm more of a runner.

*Learn. Adapt. Hunt.*

Hunt what, exactly?

*Oh, I have a few ideas,* the Princess chipped in.

Thanks.

*But Seraphina isn't here.*

Hey!

"You look almost as out of place as I feel," Maria butted in on my internal dialogue, to my everlasting gratitude. "Nice clothes, though."

I looked down at my somewhat slinky dress and perilously high heels. The Assassin's work, naturally. It did fit in disturbingly well here, which suggested that she had been paying a lot more attention to what people on the street had been wearing than I had given her credit for. I guessed I was lucky that I had enough natural grace that I had mastered walking with relative ease.

I glanced at Siren and Sarah dancing away on the floor. They certainly seemed to be getting into the spirit of things. Siren had attracted a crowd of admirers already, and seemed to be viewing them with the air of a wine connoiseur looking at a full rack. I wasn't actually sure where Madrigal had gotten to, but if anyone was going to follow the Assassin's advice, it was going to be her.

"Damn it. I'm feeling too self conscious out here. Want to go out there?"

I looked at Maria. I wasn't too sure about hunting, but maybe learning and adapting didn't seem to bad. Especially when I could compete against Maria. "Sure."

 

"That was a great night!" Maria said with more than a little enthusiam as we returned to the suite. She had, possibly, decided to explore the range of drinks they served at the club with a certain degree of determination.

The guys looked up from around the table they were sat at with varying expressions. Mostly surprise, though Uno and the Hive just seemed confused.

"Um, full house," Mack said. "Does that mean I win the round?"

I'm not sure why, but that made me corpse with laughter.

*Maybe it's time to get you to bed,* the Princess decided. *Whoa,* she said as she took control of my body. *You really are drunk.*

That's the wonderful thing about sisters. They're always there to look after you.

*Really *really* drunk.*

 

_A million twinkling lights danced in front of me, blurrily. Laughter and music filled the air, too loud. My head hurt. People, in front of me. Hundreds of them. Dancing, waltzing across the floor, clustered around tables, hidden in shadowed alcoves. Alcoves like the one I was in, peeking out at all the glitz and the glamour. I knew I should be out there, but I really didn't feel well at the moment. I remembered the champagne queasily. I'd been curious about it, why all the grownups seemed to like it, even though kids weren't allowed it. It hadn't tasted nice, though, and now I was really regretting it._

_"Do you think it went bad?" groaned a girl's voice from behind me plaintively._

_I turned towards her, and turned again dizzily at a sharp gasp from outside the alcove. A woman in simple clothes stood in front of me, her worried face peering down at me. A name came to me - Nanny Clara._

_"Princess? What are you doing hiding here? Your mother is looking for you. Quickly -- come with me." She hauled me forwards, into the bright light, ignoring my protest. The room span in front of me..._

 

... and snapped into focus again. I was staring at my bathroom mirror, at the strangely ornate frame that I didn't remember being there. Blink. It was back to it's usual plain self. I had a quick look around. Everything looked normal now. I shook my head. It must have just been a dream. I focussed on the mirror once more, and almost screamed. The face reflected was not my own...

 

_"...no way for a princess to behave." But the voice was amused, rather than angry. He was never angry with me. A second voice joined the first, raised in laughter._

_"What do you expect, Brother? You do indulge her so..."_

_...The new tattoo still looked strange on me. It almost felt like it should itch, but of course it didn't._

_"Looking good, Whisper!" Excitement filled my room-mate's - well, former room-mate's - voice as she bounced in next to me, grinning, throwing her arms around me. "I can't believe you've graduated already! I am sooo envious right now. Just promise me you won't forget about me, okay?"..._

 

"...Remember us." A thousand voices whispered in harmony. "Remember who we were. Remember..."

 

_...A discordant shriek of noise blasted my ears, drilling right through to my brain._

_"Sector seven wards breached!"_

_"Alpha containment failing..."_

_"...can't contain it for long. I need your help, Juliet. Please..."_

 

"...This is the way the world ends..."

 

I woke up blinking in the sunlight. I looked at the clock next to my bed. Ten o'clock? I couldn't remember when the last time had been that I had slept that long. The remnants of dreams littered my head, tantalising me, before, abruptly, I lost interest in them. It was almost time to head back to the Facility, barring a message otherwise.

Since I was going to be the one transporting us back, I got to have some influence over the timetable. And I think that we'd be leaving after I had time to have another massage and soak. With that in mind, I got up, put my swimming costume and dressing gown on. collected a towel and left the room. Broadway was waiting for me in the common room.

"Hi Keri."

"Morning, Broadway."

"How are you feeling?" Broadway asked with a smile.

"Fine. Why?"

"You seemed fairly out of it last night. Just wondering if you'd be regretting it this morning."

"Apparently not. I'm have to a final massage before we head back."

"Yeah, about that - could you hand this to Jenny?" He handed me an envelope. "When she's feeling better."

"Sure." I went back into the room and stored it in my backpack. "See you," I waved to him as I exited the room and went downstairs in search of sensual goodness.

 

"Is everyone here?" I asked Maria. I was feeling happy and relaxed, which I figured would last up until the point where I started worldwalking. She did a quick headcount and nodded. I formed the corridor of light, and started falling towards the Facility, dragging everyone with me. Bar Broadway, Sarah, Siren and Clank of course. This time I only maintained the tunnel for part of the way there, dropping it when I thought I was overstretching myself. I then caught my breath, before preparing to do it again.

"Wait," Maria called. "There are people missing."

Qais counted himself, obviously not trusting Maria, then turned to face me. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But Broadway has never liked it at the Facility. And if anyone could shield himself from my powers..."

"What about the others? You've got to go back for them," Maria demanded.

"I've got to get everyone else back to the Facility. Especially Jenny. If there's been a mistake, if I dropped them accidentally, or if Broadway took the opportunity to escape and accidentally dragged them out of the tunnel too, then someone from the Facility can go and pick them up. If they're trying to escape, well, that's not my problem."

Qais looked unhappy, but nodded in agreement. Maria looked pissed and suspicious, but let it go. I concentrated, and the world collapsed into a tunnel of light once more.

Best of luck, you lot.

 

"I can't believe he left me behind! He didn't even say anything." Mack's face was scrunched up behind the arm he was trying to hide his tears behind. "I thought we were best friends. I thought..."

Rumours had spread after we had gotten back to the Facility and some personnel had gone off to retrieve Broadway, Clank, Sarah and Siren. They had gone, and the trail had been obscured. The scuttlebutt was that they had all gone on the run, and weren't coming back. Mack wasn't taking the news well.

I awkwardly put my arm around him. He took the opportunity to huddle into it.

"You didn't know about this, did you?"

"No. Nothing," I lied and felt like an arsehole for doing so.

"Broadway left you too, then."

"Well, I knew he always wanted to leave. I just hope he's having a good time out there."

"I don't know what I'll do. I keep on turning around to talk to him, but he's never there." Mack looked like he was about to burst into tears again.

"There, there." Now I knew how Maria had felt. I was utterly shit at this kind of thing. The others weren't being any help either. "Hopefully, he's happy out there."

"Do you think you could find them?" Mack looked up at me hopefully. "Then we could escape and meet up with them and..."

I shuddered at the thought of trying to covertly escape with Mack. "I'm hopefully going to graduate from here. Seraphina seems to think I have control of my abilities and, after all, that's why they took me here. I don't think escaping just before that happens will look good."

Mack's head drooped. "Well, if you're out there, and you meet up with them, could you tell Clank how much I miss him."

I guessed it was the least I could do. "If I happen to see him, sure."

Mack clambered to his feet. "Now, if you don't mind. I'm," he hiccuped a little, "I'm going to spend some time alone now." He headed off to his room, trying to pretend that he wasn't crying.

I felt wretched. But there wasn't really anything I could do. Mack always seemed so resilient. I hadn't imagined that he could fall apart like this. I just hoped he'd be back to his old self sometime soon.

 

The door to the Director's office lay before me. I took a deep breath and entered. He sat behind his desk, eyeing me like a statue carved from ice and bone.

"Miss Keridwen A'Court. Please, have a seat. I believe you have a request for me."

I took the seat. Metaphorically, rather than literally.

*Only you would have to actually specify that.*

"I've managed to master my birthright abilities to the point where they're stable. I'd like to graduate."

He pinned me with a look. "Mastery of birthright abilities is not the only thing we teach here."

"No, but it's the reason why you kidnapped me from my room and brought me here."

He sighed. "Given the state of the world you were in, and the state of the worlds around it, you do realise why we did that."

"I can understand it. But you could have asked first. I might even have said yes."

"Very well. We do have more we can teach you. The offer is there, to study here, work here, willingly."

I smiled wryly. "Thanks. Maybe in the future, but not now. I need to stretch my wings a little. It's a little cramped here."

"Special Operations will miss you, I'm given to understand. But very well. We'll hold a special graduation ceremony for you in a few days time. And something else," he handed me an envelope from off his desk. "If you should happen to come across Mr Broadway on your travels, can you give him this? According to the report, he has also attained sufficient mastery to graduate." He sighed. "And if you encounter the others, let them know that we are concerned for them."

I took the enveloped. "If I should happen to come across them, I'll relay that. Anything else?"

"No, Miss A'Court, that is all. Good luck." He extended his hand and I shook it.

 

"Though your time here has been brief..."

At the back of the room, I saw Qais nudge Maria and whisper something to her.

*Bet you never thought that she'd beat both of us to graduation,* the Assassin effortlessly lipread.

"...and the events extraordinary..." Miss Pym, our etiquette teacher continued. I wished it could have been Mr Knowles.

"...we hope that your time here has been fruitful, and that the friendships you have made longlasting..." Seraphina, glittering, sat in the front row, Alicia next to her.

"...we now present you with this degree certifying that you have mastered your abilities, and are no longer an unwitting danger to the universe about you." I note that we can still be willing dangers. My mind slipped towards Aleks, present, sullen in the audience, and from there to spaces where there should have been friends. Irrationally, I wished Broadway was there to see me get this.

Everyone in the audience clapped as I took my degree in hand.

Freedom, I guess.


	16. Chapter 16

"Nice world," I said looking out the window at the octopus swimming by.

"We like it," Broadway replied. I turned to look at him. Yup, Siren was still entwined around his arm, just like she had been ever since I had turned up. Even I didn't need the Princess to tell me what that body language meant.

*It means she's feeling threatened by you.*

What?

*You and Broadway did look like an item. Boy and girl, always sneaking off to hidden locations together. Do I need to draw a picture here?*

What?

*Maybe I do need to draw a picture,* the Princess decided. *Everyone thought you were shagging like bunnies.*

Gwuh?

*Siren's just showing that she's the new girlfriend.*

I finally managed to process this somewhat unwelcome information. Really?

*Really.*

Maybe I did need the Princess to tell me what all this meant. Or perhaps I needed her to show some of her vaulted tact, and not tell me these things in the future.

*Hey!*

I ignored her. Me and Broadway? Oh, ick. I mean, I liked him, but definitely not in that way.

Broadway took advantage of my silence to ask "So, what are they saying back at the Facility?"

Oh, question. I took a moment to compose myself, then looked at him with my best attempt at an amused smile. "You mean, any word on the search for you?" I handed him the letter that the Director had given me. "Congratulations, you've graduated." He opened it and read the certificate, looking slightly deflated. "Look on the bright side. At least you managed to escape before graduation." He gave me a sour look. I grinned cheerily at him.

"What about the rest of us?" Siren asked.

"They still want to talk to you. The Director said it was because they were concerned for your safety." I shrugged. "I don't know, but I'd ask Seraphina to have a look when she has time."

"Way ahead of you," Broadway replied. "We may not want to stay at the Facility, but we're not stupid."

"So, what have you been doing with yourselves?" I asked.

"Well, we have been doing some exploring of the worlds around here. But we've made our base here. This place is really great," he enthused. "Talk about comfort. Also the shows, casino and, well, if you are here long enough, we will show you around. It's like the place is set up to be a playground for us."

Almost like you had chosen it for these properties...

"Of course, it also has the tech and magic we need," Broadway continued, oblivious to my internal sarcasm. "Clarence and I have been working on getting stuff working for them. Their tech is pretty good, but it's the workmanship in their design I like."

"He means it looks good," Siren said with rolled eyes and a grin.

"I imagine it's useful to have someone to interpret for him," I said, trying desperately to communicate that, no, really, she could have Broadway.

It must have worked because she relaxed, just a little. "You have no idea," she replied drily. We shared a smile.

*I rather think Broadway should be worried,* the Princess noted.

 

The shows had been impressive, I thought. Very pretty. But this is the real city. I looked down at a leaking shaft to see some dirty and half starved people huddling at the bottom.

I had wanted to stretch my legs after a day. But, no rooftops. So I had to find somewhere else to explore. Luckily, even in this underwater metropolis, there was spare space, space that was either surplus or needed for safety. It was a bit more of a challenge to find, to access, to disable the security devices intended to stop me and I certainly couldn't move as fast through it, but it gave me a certain sense of satisfaction nonetheless. Until I found that I wasn't the first to find these places.

"Please don't hurt us," a woman quavered.

"I-I'm not going to do that. I'm sorry." I wasn't sure what I was sorry for, but it seemed the right thing to do.

"Just leave us alone! We're not going to move again!" A man got to his feet. He looked like he had been a big man once, but now flesh hung from his bones. One arm was twisted like it had been broken and not set, but he didn't let that stop him raising the other one towards me.

I backed down the access way I had come from, blocking them from sight. I was just about to leave as quickly as I could.

"Do you think she's gone to get security?" A man's voice. Not the big guy.

"Probably." That was him. A spitting noise. "She looked too clean and squeaky to be down here unless she was working for someone."

"Curtis isn't back yet." The woman.

"We need to leave. We'll just have to hope he doesn't get caught."

I wavered, then headed back towards them. I popped my head over the edge. "I'm not going to get security." I tried a smile. "I'm not here officially either." I didn't get one in response. "Um... Here." I dropped my lunch. "You probably need this more than I do." I turned and fled before they could say anything.

I'd seen hunger and deprivation, before, of course. Fear and desperation, even. But everyone here I'd seen had been well fed and happy, by comparison. This place felt like ashes, suddenly. It was just like home, only the people in the fancy apartments were the monsters.

Time to leave.

 

"Keri! How are you?" Lindsey opened her arms for a hug. I obliged.

*Don't like this,* the Assassin groused. *It makes us too vulnerable.*

*Oh, hush,* the Princess replied. *You mean, it makes you feel too vulnerable.*

I could feel the Assassin glowering at the Princess, but she didn't respond.

"I'm fine, Mum." She liked me calling her that. "I've graduated, so I thought I'd come and visit for a while."

"You've graduated?" she asked, looking hurt. "Why didn't you invite me? I'd have liked to me there."

I felt like such a heel. "I'm sorry." I looked down at my feet. "I didn't think of that. I guess I'm not used to having parents."

*Nicely done.*

Hey! I didn't mean it like that. And you could've have warned me, little miss know it all.

A brief pause. *I suppose I'm not used to having parents anymore either.*

"Oh, baby," Lindsey said as she tightened her arms around me. Baby? I was sixteen! "I guess I'll have to fix that."

That sounded... ominous.

 

"How do you like your graduation party?"

I looked around. Twenty or so older people, Lindsey's friends, sat around the table interspersed with a few younger ones. Kids - too young and too lacking in experience for me to really connect with. Many were doing their best attempt at enthusiasm, but the Princess had been playing a game of 'Spot the dragged-along Significant Other' inside my head. To be honest, I was feeling a bit hemmed in. Too many people I didn't know. Not my favourite situation. However, it was clear what Lindsey was hoping to hear, so I smiled back at her. "It's great. Thanks, Mum." I pushed the paper hat back up as it covered my eyes. Again. Every time that happened, it made the Assassin twitch.

She waved to the server waiting attentively. "It's time for the cake."

Cake. I hadn't had one for a special occasion since... since I was twelve. Too bad it was so childish.

*Hah. You love it.*

Maybe. It was really inconvenient to one's street cred having someone who knew me so well. I hugged myself and smiled. Cake! Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

It was the best kind of cake. Brightly coloured and covered in a forest of candles that spelled out the words "Happy Graduation!"

*Let me handle this.*

Thanks!

The Princess began "Thank you all for coming. I realise that you don't know me that well, but, now I've graduated I guess you'll be seeing more of me. Rest assured, though, I'm not after any of your jobs." Some polite laughter. "I've decided to travel a little, to decide what to make of my life. As you may know, there are other worlds out there and I can travel to them. I've checked with the lawyers and, unfortunately, I'm not allowed to bring any gold or jewels back without an import licence." More laughter. "If you're interested in what I see out there, Lindsey's going to recording what I tell her about my trips. She seems to think that there will be interest in a book about what I experience out there. Now, to the cake." I very firmly took control back of my body. I wasn't going to let her cut that cake. I slid the knife in to reveal delicious chocolate cake. My mouth watered. I cut myself a generous chunk and put it on my plate.

Lindsey groaned besides me. "I can feel the pounds piling on just looking at that," she complained. She gave me a look as I put a large slice on her plate, but didn't say anything.

"Enjoy!" I smiled at her.

Any reservations certainly didn't stop her tucking in with a vengeance. The server came and divided up and served the cake for the rest of the guests. I decided to put the rest of the world on hold for a while. Chocolate was calling.

 

*If you carry on like you did today, you'll end up as wide as you are tall.*

I ignored her. A little indulgence never hurt anyone. Besides, *I* wasn't the one being waited on hand and foot. *I* was getting exercise. Unlike a certain lazy slob I could think of.

*Hey!*

I looked down on the cityscape illuminated by streetlights. I was fairly sure that Lindsey would have kittens if she knew that I was sitting on the edge of a skyscraper, let alone if she found out that I had free climbed my way up it. Ah well, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. I needed to stretch my legs.

*What are you going to do here? I mean, spending time with Lindsey, shopping and so forth is all very well and good, but you know as well as I do that you're not going to be satisfied doing this for long.*

I sighed. She was right. I had said I was going to go off, travelling the worlds, but Lindsey always had one more thing she wanted to do tomorrow. And, though I hated to admit it, I was beginning to feel stifled. The only reason I hadn't already left was, well...

*Because you know it would hurt her. But you're going to have to go soon.*

I guess.

*You can't remain in one place too long. You'll be in danger that way,* the Assassin helpfully added.

Was that it? Was I just too afraid to stay somewhere overlong, to put down roots? I held myself.

*This is getting entirely too deep for me. It's time to find some alcohol,* the Princess decided.

I'm only sixteen!

*And besides, it dulls your edge,* the Assassin disapproved.

*A little lubricant helps one sleep at night on occasion.*

Have you ever considered that you might have a problem?

*Just because you've been brought up in an overly uptight society, it doesn't mean we all have.*

Huh. Anyway, I thought it was time for bed. And tomorrow, tomorrow after the amusement park trip, I thought it was time for me to leave.

*With clothes and shoes.*

I had noticed that the Assassin had become very insistent on that subject. With some clothes and no extra shoes, I counter bid.

*Some clothes that include the black frilly dress and the red shoes,* the Assassin came back with.

I sighed. Deal.

 

"Are you sure that you have to go this evening? I'd booked us tickets to the Great Library tomorrow." Lindsey looked at me with big hopeful eyes. I felt horrible.

"I'm sure," I glanced towards my suitcase. "See. I've packed and everything."

Lindsey's eyes looked suspiciously shiny. "I'm sorry. It's, it's just that I've only just found you again. I was hoping you could stay a little longer." She hugged me, suddenly. I managed to avoid flinching, somehow. "I don't want to lose you." This last was somewhat muffled.

"I'll be back. I'm just going on my own kind of holiday." I tried to ignore the sniffle coming from behind my head. "Besides, how will you ever start your book if I don't get out there?"

"I guess." But her arms tightened around me protectively.

I pulled away. "I was planning on returning in about a week. Maybe we can go to the library then." Books, my eternal nemesis. Okay, I didn't have that big a problem with them, but they just reminded me of the librarians at the Facility. Creepy spider things.

"Sure. So you'll be back on Tuesday?" That was five days time.

"I was planning on Wednesday." She looked disappointed. "Maybe we could meet up at Angelo's for breakfast?"

"It's a date." She looked me in the eyes, biting her lip a little. "I see there's no dissuading you." She gave me a peck on the cheek. "Take care." She turned away quickly and made busy at the kitchen counter. "Do you want a drink for the road?"

"Thanks, but I'm fine. See you later!" I waved as I left with the suitcase. I felt like I was walking through mud, but I managed to make it.

Freedom was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

 

I sighted my prey, hidden and unseen. Unsuspecting, it browsed in its natural environment as I advanced silently towards it, and then pounced...

"Hey, Seraphina!" I swear she jumped a mile. I loved doing that to her.

She held her hand to her chest. "Keri!" She looked down at the spilled sugar drink, then back at me, a little reproachfully. "You made me spill my drink."

I grinned unrepentantly. "I'll go grab a cloth to wipe it up."

When I came back, she'd gotten another drink and was sipping it. "So, how is life on the outside?"

"Kind of exciting, though I've only had a little taste so far. I've spent most of the time with Lindsey."

"That sounds nice."

I shrugged. "It is... but it's also kind of suffocating."

"Do you have any plans?"

"Not really." I tapped the table leg with my foot. "I suppose I never really looked beyond getting out of here. I'm told I have a bad habit of short term thinking." I cast a brief internal glower in the direction of the Princess.

"You are young. It is a common fault." She looked self deprecating. "It certainly was for me at that age."

"It's just..." I searched for the words. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with my life."

"Be glad that you have that choice," Seraphina softly.

"I am. Trust me." I paused a moment, thinking. "Tell me, are you happy with your choices?"

"There are more than a few I wish I could change, but in general? Yes. I am happy to be here, thinking, finding out new things, not being drawn into the fighting and the politicking back home."

"There seems to be more than enough politics here," I said with more than a little distaste.

She laughed, a bell like tone. "True. And I miss your help dealing with it, truly, though with all the casualties I would have had no time for research in any case. It is different here, though. I am much more comfortable with the stakes. Careers and time may be gambled, but not lives and civilisations." She looked distant, and a little sad. "I do not mind losing these games so much."

I wanted to hug her, to tell her that I'd protect her from, from whatever, but I didn't know how to and I was too scared. The moment passed, and Seraphina smoothed her face.

"That reminds me." She opened her desk and started sorting through paperwork. "Ah, here we are." She retrieved an envelope. "The Director asked me to pass this onto you." She handed it to me.

The Assassin handled the envelope gingerly, examining it. It was made of good cardstock, the writing of my name flowing and elegant. A light floral scent drifted from it. The Assassin didn't say anything, so I guessed that there wasn't anything wrong with it. I opened it to reveal, pretty much as expected, a letter.

Princess Florimel of Amber requests the pleasure of your company for a light evening meal and entertainment at a date of your convenience. Please respond at your pleasure via the Facility mail. She would like to thank you in advance for your reply.

Huh.

"I've got an invite from one of my illustrious presumed relatives," I told her. "Maybe I won't be escaping the politics after all." I tried to make a joke of it, but I saw the sadness settle into Seraphina's face. "Maybe I shouldn't go."

She shook her head. "You should. You need to know where you came from."

I was... uncertain on the subject.

*You need to meet with them at some point. Not taking a side *is* taking a side, and will be treated as such,* the Princess said. *Trust me, I know.*

"Besides, maybe Amber is different to Unification," Seraphina attempted.

*And maybe this talk won't have political implication,* the Princess snorted.

Yeah, I didn't believe it either. Looking at Seraphina, none of us did.

 

How did I let myself get talked into this? I wondered, looking down at my black dress and highly impractical shoes.

*The meeting, or the outfit?*

Yes,

*You agreed to meet with Florimel because you're curious about your family. There was also the fact that it was a good idea in general. The outfit, the outfit I had *nothing* to do with, and disclaim all responsibility for.*

*Shoes,* the Assassin chipped in enthusiastically.

She was definitely living vicariously through me, I thought sourly. As far as I could tell, she was still living way down in the slums, never even within sight of clothes like this. Being forced to interact with people in ways she hadn't been trained for had certainly started to change her. Goddess only knew how she would end up. Hopefully being able to get her own clothes.

The door opened to reveal Florimel in much more elegant outfit than what I had seen her in last. Probably because she wasn't planning on manning a military defense this evening. Or so I hoped. If that was her idea of light evening entertainment, I really had to revise the impressions I had received from Athena.

"Miss Keridwen A'Court?" She held out her hand.

I took it. "Princess Florimel. Please, call me Keri."

She smiled crookedly. "Excellent. Call me Flora. Welcome to the family” She looked around. "As nice as I'm sure this place is, I was thinking of spending our time somewhere a little more congenial."

"Sounds good to me. The canteen cuisine here sucks anyway."

"Let me show you to my car."

 

Her car turned out to be an extremely luxurious limousine. A fairly muscular young man in an immaculate uniform got out of the front at our approach and opened the back door for us.

"Thank you, Terrence." Flora nodded as she got into the car with a smooth economy I could feel the Assassin admiring.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked after I had placed myself on a seat so soft and comfortable that I just knew I would fall asleep if undisturbed.

"Sure. Um, water will be fine." Even the Princess wouldn't drink anything else in this kind of meeting.

*Hey! I'd probably have tea.*

Not a glass of wine?

Flora gave me a sharp look as she handed me a glass. I decided to cut the internal chatter, just in case.

"I like your dress," she said. The Assassin preened. "It suits you a lot better than the jumpsuit you were dressed in when we first met."

"That's the Facility. Big on practicality and uniformity. Low on individual expression." I decided not to elaborate that this wasn't *my* individual expression.

She laughed throatily. "Sounds like the kind of place I would have hated. It does have to be said, apart from riding to rescue it, I have very little idea about it. Would you mind filling me in?"

She made talking with her easy as we chatted about this and that. I told her about where I had grown up, skimming over what had happened after *they* had arrived, and about life at the Facility. She seemed to have an endless array of amusing anecdotes about her life in a variety of places. Amber and its environs featured prominently in her tales. It sounded enchanting. In no time, I had relaxed completely, had forgotten that we hadn't know each other for years. After a while, I looked out the window and realised that not only had we driven past the Facility's wards, but that sky definitely wasn't found on that world.

Flora saw me looking outside. "We're almost at the restaurant that'll be the first part of our evening. Trust me when I say that I think you'll *love* the after dinner entertainment."

"I'm just surprised. I didn't notice a tunnel of light."

She laughed. "Oh, trust me, that's far from the only way to travel. I find moving slowly through the worlds far more civilised, as well as allowing me to travel in style. Plus it's a lot more subtle than just crashing through worlds. I take it that wasn't on the curriculum?"

"The Facility doesn't teach the use of the Amber birthright power."

"They do have a certain bias," she noted.

"As far as I'm aware, they just don't have the staff." Why was I feeling defensive about the *Facility*?

"No doubt. We don't really have the family to spare."

"So I've heard. The details I managed to get were a little sketchy."

"I'll have to fill you in at some point, preferably before you see the King. I understand he'll be contacting you himself at some point about a visit to the ancestral home."

"For my official welcome to the family?"

"Indeed. Despite my duties as general ambassador to the rest of the universe," she smiled a little self deprecatingly, "I'm not here. Officially."

"So, if I remember my etiquette lessons correctly, this means I'm talking to Flora rather than Princess Florimel?"

"Something like that. I guess that means that my invitation had a slight faux pas. Can you forgive me?"

I had to grin at the conspiratorial smile she gave me. "Sure."

"So, who did teach you to travel like that? There were some variations I haven't seen before."

Um... how to say no one?

*Secrets are a good thing to have this early in a relationship.*

Luckily, I think she was expecting a hesitation to that question. "I'm not sure I'm supposed to answer that question."

"No matter. I probably should have better than to ask." She slapped one hand lightly with the other. "You'd think I'd know better. With the current stalemate in the war with Unification, I've certainly had enough practice at the whole diplomacy thing. Eric has had me travelling hither and yon furiously, always meeting with more dignitaries. Anything to try and keep hostilities from breaking out again."

"Sounds exciting."

"You have no idea." She rolled her eyes. "If I were a less work oriented person, I could almost wish for war to break out again, just to get a holiday."

"I don't."

Her gaze softened. "Of course you don't. Your classmates... Well, don't worry. Talks are still ongoing, and I'll do my best to keep them that way. Who knows, it might even break out into peace." She gave me a cheery smile.

I smiled in response, and toasted her with my water. "Here's to that." I paused a second. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"When we first met, you called me Juliette. Why?"

She paused for a second, seeming to look inwards, before focusing on me again. "I used to know someone called Juliette. You look a lot like her."

"Who was she?"

"She's my daughter. She disappeared some time ago." I heard crying. It took a second before I realised it was coming from inside of me.

"How long ago?" Who was that crying?

"Almost a hundred years ago, Amber time. It isn't that different from Facility time."

*It's not me,* said the Princess.

"Well, she's not me. I'm only sixteen."

"I know." She looked down at her hands. "I was hoping you might be her daughter."

I could feel the Assassin in the back of my mind. It wasn't her, either. "I don't think so. My mother didn't look *that* much like me." I sorted out a picture that Lindsey had given me of us and handed it to her.

It was the Sorceress, I realised with a kind of stunned amazement. But I couldn't talk to her now, with Flora looking at the photo, then back at me.

"You look about the same age as you do now. I thought..." she trailed off. I thought she probably would have had access to my Facility file. This seemed to confirm it.

"She's my mother in a different world. We've bonded," I felt the need to explain.

"Oh," She looked downcast.

Still the crying.

"Oh! There was another girl at the Facility who looked like me. About sixty years ago. I think..." I tried to remember what Seraphina had told me. It had been some time, and, to be honest, I hadn't given it much thought. "I think her name was Whisper." A far more recent memory of that name tried to force its way to the surface, but failed. Maybe it was something the Sorceress had said. I remembered thinking that she was Whisper, though, naturally, the Sorceress had never confirmed it.

"Thank you. Should I ask how you found this out?" She searched my face for a second. "Never mind. I'll look into her."

The sound of crying had softened, but was still present.

The car gently came to a stop, and Terrence got out and opened the door for us. We were on a crowded street outside a restaurant.

As we approached the entrance, Flora said "This place is one of my little secrets. The small portions mean that you don't feel bad indulging the family appetite by having many courses. Let's try and work our way down the menu." She grinned with a glee that couldn't have been feigned.

"Um, actually, do you mind if I visit the toilet? Long car journey, plenty of water." Just an excuse, of course. I wanted to interrogate the Sorceress, and find out what was distressing her.

"Sure. It's just on your left as we enter the lobby."

As I turned my head obligingly in that direction, the Assassin suddenly took control of my and flung me past Flora into the building. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl. I had just enough time to recall seeing a glint of glass from on top of a building opposite before I was passing Flora into the building. She still hadn't moved yet, shock keeping her stationary. Somehow I had enough presence of mind to stick out an arm, ignoring the Assassin's protests, and drag her down with me as the wall in front of her exploded.

I landed roughly, but twisted and rolled to my feet, keeping a hold of Flora and dragging her with me out of sight from the street. I then stopped long enough to sling her over one shoulder, before barging into the central restaurant. Once there I stopped and formed a tunnel of light and started running. Just behind me, the restaurant exploded, the concussion throwing me further down the tunnel.

 

My concentration broke, and we landed in a heap amongst some undergrowth. It was a lot hotter here, tropical even.

"I guess I won't be having dinner there again," Flora said, sounding a little in shock.

Must run. Can't stop now. I got to my feet. I noted briefly that my dress was torn, but my heeled shoes had been replaced by my more familiar combat boots. Okay, whatever, I had bigger things on my mind.

*Shoes,* mourned the Assassin.

Though apparently that wasn't true of every one of my sisters.

"We need to keep moving," I said. After long experience with hauling Broadway around, I stooped to sling her back over one shoulder, but she held out a hand.

"Thank you, but no," she said firmly. "I can move by myself." She rose. "We need to go back, question the people who tried to kill me."

*Think,* said the Princess commandingly. *How would you do this? Remember your lessons from Special Operations.*

Oh Goddess. I remember that theoretical exercise.

"If I were going to try and kill someone, I'd use local talent wherever possible. Both the explosives and the shot could have been done that way. They won't know anything. They'll have been hired by more local talent, and anyone who has seen anything incriminating will be dead."

She didn't seem to question my conclusions. "Then how would you suggest finding out more?"

"Um... well, if there are world walkers on site, then we've given them a nice wide trail to follow." I looked around. "But this probably isn't the best place to welcome them if so. I'll walk to a better place."

I created a tunnel around us and walked. I was looking for a place with a lot of hiding space. Maybe somewhere with a group of ambushers already in place. Nothing that we could escape from, but hopefully something to give any followers something to think about for a few seconds. I arrived in a rocky canyon, the glint of sunlight off a barrel.

"Time to get out of sight," I murmured as I grabbed Flora and went for cover.

Her eyes narrowed a little at the cavalier treatment, but she evidently decided not to make an issue of it just yet as a shot rang out. A combination of stealth and quick movement meant that a short time later we were in cover directly above where I had tunnelled in. I didn't know who the local ambushers were, or why they were attacking anyone who came along, and quite frankly I didn't care. They had moved back to their original positions after having lost track of us and I could breathe more easily.

The Sorceress was still quietly weeping.

I snuck a look at Flora. She was concentrating and I could hear the hum of gentle magic coming from her. I couldn't tell what she was doing. If I wasn't concentrating on her, I doubted I'd even realise. Still, she was distracted, and that was what was important.

What's wrong?

*She's dead. I saw her die,* the Sorceress sobbed.

She was actually answering questions, I thought, a little stunned. Who? Juliette? Whisper?

*Juliette's my sister. I don't know who Whisper is.*

Huh. So, Juliette's dead? I'll have to tell Flora that. I dreaded the thought. She seemed so nice.

*Not Juliette. Mother. Flora. I saw her die.*

Okay. I hadn't expected that. What was happening... I had other things to think about.

*I'll look after her,* the Princess told me. *You have things to think about.*

My mind cleared of all confusion. She was right.

 

A twisting, sucking noise came from below us. It sounded like the kind of travel Broadway and Seraphina used. Out popped a group of assorted humanoids, none human. As shots from the ambushers rang out, the incoming party scattered. I identified the person who had been using Logrus and decided to drop in on him. He went down with a yell as my boots impacted satisfyingly with parts of his anatomy then went silent as I thumped the side of his head. Taking a brief glance around, the soldiers around him seemed too shocked to react as I scooped him up and started scampering back up the cliffside.

Above me the sound of Trump flared, and I heard Corwin's voice.

"They're down there?"

Flora's voice responded, "Yes. Keri's made an initial assault, but she could use backup."

Certainly wouldn't argue with it, I thought, as I managed to avoid one thrown knife clattering against the cliff beside me and the other by using my prisoner as a shield. I kind of hoped that didn't go anywhere vital. The body started twisting, rippling in my hands. I looked at it in horror as the flesh started to crawl around it's injuries. I dropped the body convulsively and watched as it bounced down the cliff and didn't move. I kind of hoped that the *thing* was still interrogatable, but I wasn't going down there after it.

Corwin and some men that I guessed had come through with him descended the cliff, albeit not quite as quickly as I had, and engaged the forces there, taking the heat off me. Corwin took position over my droppee.

I climbed back up to Flora. She was looking down on the battle as I joined her. "Umm... hopefully he can answer your questions."

"If not him, then one of his men. I... think you'd better leave, before Corwin finishes up down there. My brother has a number of questions he'd like answered, and he'd probably want you to stick around to answer them." She took a breath, and then released it. "Barring a miracle, as of today, the armistice with Unification has ended. They've tried to kill a member of the family, and we do *not* take that lightly. If you have friends in the Facility, I'd suggest you go see them shortly. Given recent events, it's likely that it's going to be drawn into the war by one side or another, and once that happens..." She trailed off. "I'm sorry, Keri."

I looked down. There didn't really seem to be anything to say.

"Could I also ask that you mention nothing of what happened here to anyone? If there's any chance of saving the situation, I need to control the information flow as best I can. I'd be careful when you visit the Facility, too. It seems likely that someone knew that I would be at my favourite restaurant today, and the easiest way of finding that out would be interception of my letter there."

She gave me a hug, and then released me, gently pushing me away. "See you around."

I turned and left, tunnelling away.

Tomorrow, we were likely to be at war, and I wasn't even sure who 'we' were.


	17. Chapter 17

As I entered the world of the Facility, the scream of broken wards momentarily distracted me.

"Halt!" a leathery voice commanded me. I looked around to see a scaled guard striding towards me, left hand on a sword hilt, right drawing some kind of gun. The kind that didn't leave much behind if it hit. A little distance away in both directions, I saw other guards come to the alert, and start to swing in my direction. The Facility had learned the hard way that clumping soldiers was just an invitation to the enemy's suicide tactics. I guessed that was kind of good. It probably meant that they were still worried about the enemy and not, say, each other.

"Keridwen A'Court. Used to be a student here."

He repeated my name into his communicator. Apparently the answer he got back satisfied him. "Oh, you're *that* one." He sniffed at me, then wrinkled his nose as though he had smelled something unpleasant and looked at me warily. "What was Amber doing, sending a full initiate here anyway? You a spy?"

I smiled back weakly. "Um... no. It's complicated. I'm just here to see some friends."

"A likely story. Well, go ahead. I can't stop you." He didn't need to add the 'yet' to that statement. his body language said it for him. "Follow the luminescent strips on the walls." He pointed to the nearest one. "They should take you to a lift that still works."

It took some time. Working transport was apparently somewhat rare. I passed various guards. Most looked on with indifference, but some glowered at me. Some even greeted me with a smile and wave. I didn't know most of these, which just made me wonder what they had heard and why they were making a show of support. I hated politics. I hated even more that it made me question every kindness that a stranger showed me.

*Welcome to power.*

I don't even have any power. I'm just a kid.

*Don't underestimate yourself. Kings are willing to bargain with you for your services. That's power.*

It's a power I can do without, I groused.

*Do you regret finding Lindsey? Saving your classmates and Seraphina?*

Well, no.

*Power made that possible. So don't knock it. It just comes with a price.*

Great.

The internal conversation had managed to last me until the lift doors opened. A scene of barely controlled chaos greeted me. Just how I had left it then. Everyone not involved in setting up the new Facility (on a different world) or guarding the place was cramped here, in a place they were more or less certain was safe. You just tried not to think what would happen if a viral bomber got in here. Let alone what would happen if you happened to be in the same section when it did. I was fairly sure that the Facility just didn't have the resources to deal with even one section of infected people. I wandered around a bit until I managed to find a terminal, and got in the queue. Around me people were talking and laughing. Generally getting on with life, trying to ignore the sword dangling over their heads. At least there wasn't fighting in the corridors, which I guess I'd been fearing somewhere irrational.

I finally managed to get my turn and checked my mail. The usual chatter from Mack. Some notices from Facility officials who didn't seem to have noticed that I graduated. And some from Aleks, my least favourite pyromaniac classmate. Huh. What did *she* want?

The emails weren't particularly enlightening, just saying that she needed to speak to me. I decided to put that on the backburner. I was here to see people I cared about before the imminent war broke out. Now that Unification and Amber were aware of this place, I thought it was only a matter of time before one side got desperate enough, or thought that the other side might get desperate enough. I didn't rate its chances at all. It could surprise me, though. I was just a kid.

I called up where my class were living these days. They'd moved them again, and it'd only been a few days since I was last here. Unsurprisingly, their new quarters were a lot more cramped than the ones we had before the attack. One dormitory for the lot and one sitting area shared with a couple of other classes. I imagined that Madrigal, for one, was absolutely thrilled at the new arrangements. She liked her space even more than I did. I did note off hand that Aleks apparently had a cubby hole room of her own. Who would have thought that she didn't play well with others?

Entering the room, 'Sitting Area' was a little bit of a grand title, I thought. For one thing, it implied seats. Apparently such amenities hadn't filtered down this far.

"Keri!" Mack called and bounded over. He went to give me a hug, but stopped as I flinched. "Sorry. How have you been? Have you seen Clank? How is he? Has he been looking after himself? Is he lonely?"

"I'm fine," I answered selectively. I didn't really want to get drawn into that mess if I didn't have to.

The Hive bounded over happily and buzzed at me.

"I'm pleased to see you too."

In the background, I saw Madrigal and James making a more sedate way over. Uno met my gaze in its own impassive acknowledgment as it left the common area. I'd catch up with it later.

"Lo, the wanderer returneth," Madrigal said sardonically. From the way her cat was twining its way around my legs, I figured that she was more pleased than she let on.

"I do try to pop in every now and again."

"If you come by any more often, they'll have to enroll you in classes again."

I tried for a witty comeback, acutely ware that the real reason I was back I couldn't talk about. Aware also that Madrigal belonged to one of the Houses of Unification and might well be called home when the war heated up. I hugged her impulsively. It didn't hurt that it hid my suddenly blurry vision.

She squirmed out of my arms. "Hey! There's no need for that. The joke wasn't that bad." She flicked her hair back unconsciously, looking at me thoughtfully.

"Hive wants hugs too!" The Hive, whose normal mood seemed to be a high state of excitement, seemed to think that this was a grand idea and proceeded to crawl over me and burrow under my arms. I somehow managed not to freak out as I was covered by dog sized bugs. Somehow.

*I admire your willpower.*

Thanks.

*I'm fairly sure that if you punch them on the throat *just there* you'll kill them,* the Assassin offered.

You're not helping.

*She's not actually trying to do it,* the Princess pointed out.

I guess. Progress, of a sort.

They'd managed to distract me long enough for the Hive to get bored and retire to the ground. Thank the Goddess.

"I'm pleased to see you," James said.

I smiled at him. At least I had one rock in my existence. Dear, stiff, proper James. I hugged him too, much to his surprise, and ruffled his hair. I knew he hated it, but I just couldn't help it. Perfection marred was just too cute. His face registered injured indignation as I released him.

"Was there really any need for that?"

I grinned. "Definitely."

"Hey!" Mack interjected. "Am I just going to be left out?"

I shrugged. "I guess not," I said nonchalantly. Mack had just enough time to look a little hurt before I pounced on him, knocking him to the floor. "Of course you're not going to escape that easily."

Mack looked a little miffed from beneath me, then grinned back at me as his hands reached my sides and tickled me. I giggled for a few seconds before rolling away and to my feet.

*You giggled,* came a quiet voice from inside of me. The Sorceress.

Yes, I considered. Yes, I did.

*How long has it been since you've done that?*

I thought, cast my mind back, remembered. It hurt.

*How long has it been since I've done that?" she asked, and I could feel a pain to match my own.

The others, around me, even Mack, even the Hive, registered my sudden change of mood. They looked at each other, silent a moment.

Mack broke the silence. "You'll never guess what's happened."

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"We've had visitors. From Unification." He almost bounced in excitement. "They've been trying to recruit James."

I looked towards James. He blushed, sweetly. "It's nothing. They're interested in my memory. They think that it might mean that my personal magic might make me suitable to join them."

"They're called Keepers," Mack added.

"They're a highly respected order," Madrigal added drily. "Not that you'd know it from Mack's response."

Mack stuck his tongue out at her.

"Keri." I turned to see that Aleks, followed by Uno, had entered the room. "I need to speak to you. Alone. Will you come?"

I guessed I was done here. "Sure."

Mack handed me a sealed envelope. "For Clank, if you happen to see him."

"Before you disappear," Madrigal said. "Could I have a word?"

I thought a minute and nodded.

She took me off into a corner of the dormitory. "What's wrong?"

I forced a smile. "Nothing, really."

She digested that for a second, looking at me. "Will we see you again?"

I tried to keep my face emotionless. I don't know how successful I was. "I hope so."

"Keep safe, Keri. Fare well."

"Thanks. You too"

She stood away, and let me leave without another word.

Time to face Aleks.

Curses.

 

_I was heading down some stairs. I was in the Facility somewhere. (A Facility, a voice deep inside told me.) At their foot was a door. A sealed door. This time, though, I'd be able to get inside. And inside..._

 

I blinked. Suddenly, I was back to where I had been, followng Aleks down a stairs to her room. What had I been thinking?

Her room was only faintly firescorched. A ceramic bowl rested on the ground inside of which curled her flame bright salamander.

"Welcome to my magnificent domain," she said. Apparently she'd developed a sense of humour. Or was far more deeply delusional than I had thought. I was fairly sure it was the former.

*Ever the optimist.*

She sat down on her bedding. I curled up against the wall. It wasn't precisely coincidental that I could spring up and out the door in one smooth motion from here.

"You wanted to talk. Let's talk."

"I've been contacted by people at the Facility. Since the attack." She glowered, thankfully not at me. This didn't stop the temperature in the room from raising a couple of degrees. "They seem to think I'm some kind of chosen one or something."

"Uh, that's nice, I guess."

"No, it isn't. I have a place here now. I'm not going to leave." Huh. Now *that* was a surprise. "There are good people here." I really had missed something. I was beginning to wonder if she had been replaced.

"Um..." I intelligently responded.

"They were asking after you, too," Possibly not too surprisingly. We were supposed to be connected. "Among others. They also asked about Broadway,"

Check.

"Jenny,"

She might have *some* connection, I guessed. I mean, the enemy devastated her world and left her marked.

"Sarah,"

Really? Okay, this was a little harder. Maybe they wanted her for a different reason. She was the last scion of a line of seers. Always useful.

"And Clarence."

My mind ground to a halt. Clarence? There didn't seem to be anything unusual about him that I knew of. The only thing I could think of was that he was travelling with Broadway, and, if so, that didn't explain why they wouldn't be asking after Siren.

"Huh." I tried to think of something to say. "I guess I'm not too surprised people are asking about me and Broadway. I..." I paused, still trying to think what connected these names.

Aleks must have taken my silence as a worry about being overheard. "You don't need to worry. I've burnt out all their surveillance devices, both physical and magical." She manifested a flame over her hand in demonstration. Great.

I guess I had to warn her. If war was coming, and she was as talented as Broadway or I, then her talents would be in demand by both sides. And being here seemed to be good for her. It had certainly seemed to make her more human. "Aleks, you might come under pressure here at the Facility. People are going to want to use you."

She looked stubborn. "I'm not going to be used. By anyone." The flame expanded, then concentrated into a jet. "I'll burn them if they try."

It took me a moment to realise that the groaning inside my head was from the Princess.

"It's not that simple," I tried to explain. If a war comes, *everyone* will be trying to pull you this way and that, I thought but did not say.

*Pretty much.*

You have so much faith in human nature.

*Noone likes to lose.*

But I can't tell her that. I don't know what she'd do.

*That might be a little unwise,* the Princess agreed. *Try to explain it to her a different way.*

Thanks.

"Why isn't it that simple?" Aleks demanded, having lost patience with my silence.

"Well, they might try and get you to do what they want by threatening your position at the Facility."

"I don't see why this means that I can't burn them."

"If they're sufficiently well connected to actually do this, burning them will just get you thrown out of the Facility." At best.

She paused a second, obviously working through the unfamiliar concept that she couldn't just burn someone who threatened her. "Well, I'll threaten to burn them, then."

"What if they don't back off? They know the score as well as you do."

"Why are you asking me this?" she burst out. "This hasn't happened. It might not happen." The temperature rose still further.

"Maybe you're right." Because I'm worried that war is coming. Because I'm worried that it will not leave you untouched. But I can't tell you this, because I'm worried that it might start the war I'm hoping to avoid. "I'm just worried."

She looked puzzled, then smiled that disarmingly honest smile of hers. The one that told you that she might kill you, but, really, it'd be nothing personal. "Thanks. You're a good person."

*As if I wasn't worried enough about her judgment...*

I smiled back, a little uncertainly. "Thanks."

"There was another reason why I asked you here," she said seriously.

"Oh?"

**Please* tell me this isn't a declaration of love.*

Thanks.

"I've been having dreams."

*Please tell me they don't involve you.*

"Involving you."

You jinxed me!

"Involving me how?" I asked delicately.

"I was chained to an altar." The Princess snickered in the back of my mind. I ignored her. "There was chanting, which turned into shouting, confusion. Fighting. I was rescued by you." Her brow wrinkled. "Though you looked older. There was a man there too. He was speaking, but I can't remember what he was saying. Then there was an explosion. That's where it always ended."

"Huh. Well, there are other people who look like me out there." I should know.

Aleks wasn't finished. "I kept on dreaming fragments of this, so I worked with Alithrian," Captain Trelawney's dragon, if I remembered correctly, "and we discovered lost memories. Hidden. I'm older than I look, than I remembered. We managed to uncover another memory as well. I think it happened after the explosion. I woke up in a glass coffin, bright light shining in my eyes. The lights overhead flickered and died, leaving only some dim lights coming from beneath me. I looked around, but couldn't really see anything except darkness. I could smell smoke." She started to breathe heavily, as though reliving it. "I beat my hands on the glass. I have to get out." The words were edged with panic. I started to stand up, to move towards her, but flame flickered around her form. I decided doing nothing to provoke her would be the best course of action and froze. "I manage to get out." She relaxed, and the flames died. "I cut myself on shattered glass as I emerge, and lie on the floor, my blood slowly leaking out in a pool. Two people come into the room, a man and a woman." She looked at me, her eyes focussing for the first time in a couple of minutes. "They were the people I thought were my parents."

Given what I knew about her relationship with her parents I didn't really know what to say. Thankfully, she didn't seem to require anything from me.

"I need to know more. I need to remember everything."

It took me a second to realise that she was asking me for help. "Um... do you mind if I share this someone else?"

She looked instantly suspicious. "Who?"

"I'm just not that good at this kind of thing myself," I said apologetically. "It sounds like the kind of thing that Broadway might be interested in. I can get a message to him if you want."

She thought for a second. "Okay, I'm game. I can go and visit him."

I'm sure he'd just love that. "I'll talk to him about this and see what we can do." I decided that I really needed to be somewhere else. It was just too nerve wracking being near her for any length of time. She hadn't actually threatened me, even seemed pleasant, but the constant flares of power were just continuously making me jump. I got to my feet. "Anyway, it's been nice seeing you," I lied, "Best of luck. And try to be careful."

I was fairly sure that my warning was misinterpreted. Ah well. Aleks got to her feet to see me out.

"See you around," she said and hugged me. I managed not to freak out. Great. Apparently she'd seen me hugging the rest of the class and decided to join in.

"Um, thanks," I said and tried my best not to flee too quickly.

I needed to go visit Seraphina to calm down.

 

Seraphina was radiant as ever as she tended to her patients. I really didn't know how she managed it, maintaining a facade of good humour for the benefit of her patients. Which was just as well, there were enough of them. I dreaded to think how long it had been since she had properly rested. I decided that, when convenient, I needed to drag her off for a break. I knew she wouldn't take one unless prodded. In the meantime, I found a spare corner and curled up to watch her.

*You're smiling.*

So? It's restful here.

*Goofily.*

Hey!

*Don't mind us,* the Sorceress sighed. I'm not quite sure how she managed it, but the Princess' dulcet tones were instantly muffled. I could only feel her indignation distantly. *It's nice to feel this way again,* she added wistfully.

How come everyone in my head acted as though they were more mature than I was?

*Maturity isn't something that I concern myself with,* the Assassin said.

*Clearly.* The Princess was back, and obviously more than a little miffed, but had apparently decided not to take on the Sorceress directly. I suspected that this was not over however.

I was jolted out of the brewing battle inside me as Seraphina's eyes finally drifted across me, and she smiled with her eyes as well as her mouth. "Keri!"

My day instantly got brighter. "I just thought I'd pop in since I was around."

"So soon?"

"I obviously just can't keep away," I said with possibly more truth than I'd like to admit. "When will you be free?"

She waved her hands vaguely. "I am sorry. I have just got so many patients at the moment."

"How long has it been since you had a break?"

She had the good grace to look embarrassed. "You are almost as bad as Alicia."

Ouch. I tried not to let anything show. "I take it that means it's been too long. These patients need you to be at top form."

"What would I do without you, my faithful assistant?" She tapped her head with one glittering finger. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that you are not that any more."

"Well, you obviously need someone," I said with mock severity.

"Very well, doctor Keri. I will see these patients and then try and find another doctor to hand off to."

I waited a few minutes for her to finish off there, and then cleared my throat delicately as she looked like she was going to start on a few other patients. She looked at me with a mock exasperation. "I can certainly sneak less past you."

She found another doctor, looking a little fresher, and gave him some instructions, as well as where to find her if necessary, before heading off to a room that she had claimed as her office. Inside was a terminal, boxes of papers and some bedding stretched out in one corner. There was a half empty bag of sugar in a corner, several empty ones laying discarded near it.

I gave her a disapproving frown. "I thought doctors knew the benefits of good nutrition."

Now that she was away from the ward, she slumped down on the bedding, obviously exhausted. She waved a hand in the corner's direction. "I have not had time. Everyone is so busy..."

"Hush," I told her. "Sleep. I'll organise some proper food for you for when you wake."

She didn't need much encourage to lay out on the bedding. "I thought assistants were there to take orders, not give them," she said sleepily. "Did not you want to talk to me?"

"That can wait," I hoped. "Rest. I'll see you later."

I closed the door gently behind me as I left, her gentle snores already filling the room.

 

"How did you manage this?" Seraphina asked as she enjoyed her first decent meal in who knew how long.

"I have my ways." I smiled mysteriously. She probably didn't need to know that I, or rather the Princess, had faked some orders from the Director to the kitchens to keep the medical staff well fed. She'd argued that it's the kind of thing the Director would have done if he'd thought of it. There was just too much on for him to do it himself. I was fairly sure that the Director himself would take a dim view of this line of reasoning, but with all the chaos I imagined that it'd be some time for someone to question these orders delivered by a helpful student, and longer still for the query to reach back up the line of command. Hopefully they;d be on the new site and in somewhat better order before it happened. And, hey, what was the worst that they could do to me?

"What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Seraphina asked around mouthfuls of food. "I had better get back to the wards soon, so you had better hurry."

I wanted to see you again, just in case... I hid that thought. I couldn't tell her, even though I wanted to. "Really, I was just popping in to see how you were."

"How did your trip with Princess Florimel go?"

How to answer that question? "She seemed nice enough, I guess. Not sure I want to join the family officially yet."

"That is good. I would hate to see you get caught up in the war." She paused a second. "It is heating up again." Didn't I just know. "No open hostilities as yet." Would that it were so. "With the recent events here, though, there are pressures both within the Facility and without to become involved." What I had feared.

"What's going to happen?"

"Some of us have already started banding together. We are willing to fight to remain neutral." She looked so fierce it broke my heart. Seraphina, of all people, should never look like this.

"Good luck, I guess." If they were all as naive as Seraphina, they'd need it. "Sounds like it'll be difficult. What about your family?"

"If need be... I will renounce them." She immediately looked so unhappy at the thought that I wished I could reassure her that it wouldn't happen.

"Maybe war won't start." Maybe Flora could keep the assassination attempt from coming out. Maybe she and Corwin wouldn't try and strike back and continue the cycle of violence. Maybe.

"Let us hope," Seraphina smiled a little weakly. "My position is not helped by the continuing presence of forces from both Unification and Amber. Both sides claim that this is to help protect us, but I believe that Prince Corwin is staying to try and communicate with the ghost of his son and the Hendrake forces are staying because he is." The latter sounded like someone else's analysis. It was far too cynical for Seraphina. At least, I hoped that that was still true.

"How much luck is Corwin having?"

"I believe that he is looking for a necromancer. I was going to ask Broadway next time I saw him if he would be willing to help Corwin."

And Broadway would just *love* that she had mentioned inside the Facility that he had that talent and that she was still meeting him. Ah well. Maybe in all the confusion they weren't monitoring every conversation.

"Sounds like his kind of thing."

"That is what I thought. It might also help build ties between the courts. From what I can tell, Corwin is not part of the militant faction of his court."

"It can only help."

"Enough of such depressing subjects." She gave me a smile which caused my heart to skip a beat. "I am very sorry, but I really need to tend to my patients." She gave me a hug which melted me inside, as it always did. "Thank you. It has been very nice seeing you again. Hopefully, next time we will have some more time to talk."

And then she bustled from the room. It seemed darker without her.

 

Broadway opened the door. There was a tension about him that had not been there when I last saw him. It's started, I thought as the bottom fell out of my stomach, the war has started.

"Hi, Broadway." My greeting possibly lacked something of my usual verve.

"Hello, Keri." He was equally subdued.

I decided to get this over with. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Nothing's up." He let me into the common room of his suite. The others were in there. Siren's face sported a large bruise.

"What's wrong? Did you get attacked?" I couldn't believe it. Incongruously, I felt lighter. Maybe there was no war after all. I then felt guilty. Siren being hurt was nothing to feel good about.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

*Umm... they're all looking at Broadway.*

Maybe they're just waiting for him to speak. I couldn't believe that Broadway would hurt Siren.

Broadway looked down at his feet briefly. Oh my goddess. Even I didn't need the Princess to interpret that for me.

"Could we talk about this privately," he asked.

"Sure." He walked towards his workroom. Clank was fair bristling protectively. I raised an eyebrow and he subsided. I liked Clank dearly, but, really, I was far better able to take care of myself than he was.

"What's all this about, then?"

"You know I've been trying to delve into these fragments of memories I keep on accessing?" I nodded. Once Broadway had decided that there was truth in his visions, in his usual fashion he'd been spending considerable time trying to delve further and further into them. Rather him than me. "Well, what you probably don't know is that I've been getting up at night and practising magics and building devices. I don't remember anythiing of this in the morning. The only reason I know it's happening at all is because I found devices I didn't remember building and started to bug myself to find out what was happening."

"This didn't give you pause?" The thought of someone else taking control of my body, especially if I was unaware of it happening, made my flesh crawl.

"It seemed harmless enough. Besides, I was learning things, both from the visions and from the devices I was building. I thought, I still think, that my memories might contain the key to defeating the third power. I remember that Merlin thought that he had the key as he was dying." He looked frustrated. "But I can't remember what it was. I need to find that out."

"That's only useful if he was right. It's very dramatic if the dying man has the answer but can't pass it on before he dies, but I'm not sure how often it happens in real life."

Broadway ignored me. "Anyway, yesterday something happened that upset Siren. As you know, we've become close." He blushed.

*Awww... he's so cute,* the Princess interjected.

"She reached out for me with her mind, for comfort, and the next thing I knew I was standing above her with a dagger in my hand." He took a deep breath, obviously still disturbed by the memory. "Thankfully, Clarence had stopped me before I could do anything else. I don't think I would have killed her though."

*This time,* the Sorceress observed.

I decided not to pass that on.

"How are you going to make sure that this doesn't happen again?"

"Seraphina said that Unification has memory specialists. There's an officially neutral order called the Keepers of Memory, and various independents. The Keepers of Memory are supposed to keep everything they learn confidential..."

*But...* the Princess added.

"It isn't going to help you if they out you as Merlin," I said.

"Worse. According to the Church, only Pure souls reincarnate by the grace of the Serpent. Anyone who claims that they are reincarnated outside the auspices of the Church is a heretic."

I didn't see the problem. "How is that your problem? Just don't claim that you are Merlin reincarnated. Then, even if whoever you go to claims you are Merlin, they're the heretic, not you."

He looked unconvinced. "Maybe."

*Unless the Church decided to burn him anyway. Or, once he's outed, someone exerts pressure on him to declare himself Merlin, leaving him between a rock and a burning.*

I guess.

"But you need to get a handle on your memories."

"Exactly. But who can I trust? The only person I can think of with the pull is Mandor."

"Well, I'd be surprised if the Facility doesn't know some to call if they need to. But then you'd have to trust everyone who could find out through the Facility."

"And we know just how easy that is. Seraphina said that she could try and do it through her house. But I don't even know what they'd do with the information."

"I think James might be being approached by this order."

"And, given a few years of training, he'd definitely be my pick. I don't think I can wait that long."

"So Mandor looks like your best shot."

"Pretty much. Merlin was one of his friends."

"So he tells you."

"I know Merlin thought so."

"Depends on how much you can trust Merlin. Plus, that means that he'd like Merlin back completely."

He nodded. "Still, he's my best shot."

I decided it was time to change the subject. "I've heard tensions are rising between the Courts."

"How bad is it?"

I weighed my words. "It could get very bad. Be careful. After all, apparently Amber assassinated the Crown Prince of Unification once." There may possibly have been a trace of sarcasm in my voice. Broadway raised an eyebrow. "I'd hate for it to happen again."

"Thanks."

 

The rest of my trip was a little tense. Broadway's little group was obviously having issues. The world itself didn't appeal to me any more this time than last. I didn't stay long. It was time to lose myself in shadow for a while. I didn't want to be found when war started.


	18. Chapter 18

For a moment I had the strangest feeling that I was looking into a mirror as the hood fell away from the head of the person in front of me. It really had *not* been what I was expecting as I had been wandering through the marketplace of some anonymous world, looking for something to eat. I blinked, and realised that although the girl I was looking at did have an identical face to mine, she was wearing substantially different clothing. The expression of shock mirrored mine, though, I guessed. She poked me.

"You're real, then."

"Apparently."

"Great! I'm Kara. How would you like to be a princess for an evening?"

I suddenly had a dire suspicion that she had read some of the same books as a child that I had. Parallel versions, anyway. "Thanks, but no. I'm Keri, by the way."

"Really? You'd get to go to a ball and wear a beautiful dress." Her eyes looked pleadingly at me.

*Please,* the Assassin asked wistfully.

I briefly imagined being surrounded by hundreds of people I didn't know and would never see again and shuddered.

"Not my kind of thing." I could feel the Assassin's disappointment, but resolutely ignored it.

Kara looked over her shoulder. Following her gaze I could see armed guards making their way toward us. The Facility had told us we might come across people who looked like ourselves, reflections distorted to a lesser or greater extent. I guessed from her behaviour so far she was more like me than not. I rolled my eyes. What was I letting myself in for?

"Follow me," I said, and led her into the backstreets.

Five minutes later when I was sure that we had lost any followers I stopped behind a water butte. Barring extreme bad luck, no one should see us here for a while.

"That was amazing," Kara gushed. "How did you manage to do that? Who are you?"

I shrugged. "I'm a traveller from a far land. You'd be surprised at what skills are useful."

"Do you think that you can get us out of town?"

I considered. "Probably. I'd guess that they'll be covering the gates."

She nodded glumly. "They always manage to catch me before I get too far."

"I take it you've tried going over the walls."

She shook her head. "They're too high."

"Stay here," I told her. "I'll go take a look and see if there's somewhere we can sneak across."

I returned a few minutes later. "Your wall security is absolutely appalling. There's enough blind spots to let half an army approach."

Kara got this offended look on her face. "Do you know how long it is since we've been successfully attacked?"

"I'm guessing it's about the same length of time since you were attacked by a decent military force."

"I'll have you know that we've survived five sieges that I know of and never fallen."

*Why are you picking pointless fights with your double?* the Princess asked wearily.

Good question.

"Sorry," I apologised. "Anyway, the good news is that I'm fairly sure we can get over the wall without being spotted."

Kara scowled at me, but a decided that, for the moment, escaping was more important than defending the honour of her town's guard.

Getting over the wall was pretty much as simple as I had thought. I tied my rope to Kara and lowered her down, then free climbed down myself.

At the bottom Kara was looking at me with wide eyes. "That was incredible. Do you think you could teach me to do that?"

"Uh, maybe. Given time. I wasn't planning on sticking around that long, though."

"Please?"

It was really hard to say no to that face. "We'll see. Did you have a plan once we'd gotten outside?"

"Oh, yes. This way." She led me to a field with some horses in. A man who looked like a groom moved towards us with a question on his face. Kara pulled her hood down and winked at him. He shook his head, but turned and pretended to not have seen us. Kara quickly grabbed the saddles and tackle for two horses. I was getting a distinctly unwelcome picture from all of this.

"Do you know how to saddle a horse?" she asked. "You must do, you're a traveller."

I groaned. I'd been given basic lessons on how to ride a number of beasts, but I'd never been comfortable on any of them. I'd always preferred my own two feet. It didn't hurt that I had a better turn of speed than many horses and definitely a better endurance. "I'm not that familiar with them. I guess you'd better do it."

She gave me a startled look. "Really?"

She seemed about to ask more questions so I said, "We'd better get on with this. Who knows how long before they figure that you've given them the slip and send someone out here?"

She got back to saddling the horses.

"So, where are we going?" I asked once we were underway. The big brute was tossing me around less than I'd feared, but I thought it was probably going to be just as well that I healed quickly. This trip wasn't improving my view of horses any. However, I wasn't going to let some princess out do me in the physical arena. She's insufferable enough as it is.

The Princess complained indignantly whilst Kara replied, "There's part of the forest that's all strange. I found it on my last excursion, but no one believed me." She seemed more than a little peeved. "I have to go back and investigate. Find proof I can bring back and make them listen to me."

Strange how? My flesh crawled at the possibilities. Sometimes I had *far* too good an imagination.

*Either that or you stayed awake in all the wrong classes.*

Hey! I never slept through *any* classes.

*My point precisely.*

The Princess, when she was younger, had made a point of sleeping through any class that she considered irrelevant as a form of passive protest.

*If only I could get away with that now in certain council meetings. Ah, for a younger, more innocent age.*

"What do you mean, strange?" I asked aloud. The truth was never as bad as the imagining.

Kara smirked at my question. "You'll see."

Thanks, Kara. Just thanks.

We travelled into a nearby forest along what probably passed for a trade road locally. Personally, I called it a dirt track, but I decided not to share that opinion with Kara. Soon, we departed even that, and I had the 'fun' of trying to guide my mount through undergrowth in addition to just trying to keep on its back.

An odd odour started to percolate through the air, displacing the fresh forest scent. A musty smell. I looked closer at some of the trees as I passed. That wasn't normal moss and lichen any more. It was all covered in a damp mould.

"What's wrong here?" I asked.

Kara shrugged. "It gets worse the further we go. I was wondering if there was anything in the centre that could explain it."

I was getting a distinctly bad feeling from this, and I didn't think it was just my over active imagination.

Light filtered through the trees over to the right. Maybe a clearing? I nodded in that direction. "Want to investigate?" Maybe there was something there, maybe not, but it'd definitely be better for my behind.

"Sure."

The clearing contained ruins. They looked like the remnants of a castle. A really large castle. Most of the structure above the ground floor was gone, but what remained formed a large maze of twisting wall and half collapsed masonry. To my relief, Kara dismounted and tied her mount to a tree. I slid off too, to my great relief. I thought briefly about 'accidentally' tying the horse too loosely when Kara took that decision (as well as the reins) out of my hands and tied my horse securely next to hers.

"Let's explore!" she said enthusiastically. "There wasn't a mention of a castle ever being this close to home in my history lessons, so it must be *really* old."

Something about this whole place seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn't place it. It set my teeth on edge. Part of me just wanted to leave, to run away as fast as I could, but the rest of me felt compelled to enter, to seek the heart of the castle. Perhaps oddly, my sisters had nothing to say on the matter.

"Let's go this way," I walked towards one entrance. Kara followed. I quickly led us through a series of twists and turns that even I should have quickly become lost, but somehow I wasn't.

"I hope you know where you're going," Kara finally said, a little nervously, "Or at least how to get out again. I'm not sure my father's men could find us in here."

Well, there was always the option of going *over* the walls. They didn't look that crumbling. Not to mention world walking. "It'll be a surprise," I said somewhat sardonically. Kara looked a little pale at my answer, so I softened it with a smile. "Yes, I'm sure I can get us out again."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really." I injected as much confidence as I could into my voice. Where was the Princess when you needed her?

As we approached the centre of the ruin, the wind picked up a bit, playing discordant notes as it whipped through the maze. I shivered as the icy wind bit straight through my clothing. It had been relatively warm in the town, but here I half expected to see frost on the stones.

Finally we were stood in the remnants of a great hall. And by ‘great’ I meant absolutely huge. I had no idea what kind of events must have been held here, but it seemed like you might be able to fit half of Kara’s town in here.

“What must this place have looked like when it was whole?” Kara mused.

I shivered. It was probably just the cold. “Let’s move on.”

It wasn’t too long before we came across a staircase downwards. Kara looked into the murky depths and sighed. “I bet that’s where the dungeon was.”

I took my ever trusty backpack off and fumbled inside for a candle. Worlds worked differently, but candles worked everywhere I’d been so far. I was in luck. Flint and steel also seemed to work here. The webheads had given me a few courses on how to survive, and this had been included. It still took me about five minutes and a lot of swearing to actually light the damn candle. Kara seemed a bit shocked at my language. Apparently she wasn’t used to people using that kind of language around her.

Once the candle was lighted, we descended into the depths of the earth. The staircase went down some way before entering what appeared to be a system of natural caves that had been modified and carved to make them more useful. We wandered for a bit, Kara trailing even closer behind me to keep within the circle of light before we came to a closed door in one wall. I looked at it apprehensively. I knew, somehow, that something was behind it. I just wasn’t sure that I wanted to know what it was.

Kara took the decision out of my hands by nipping forwards and opening it herself. A leprous green glow illuminated the room in front of her, but nothing moved.

“Wow!” she said. “What’s that?” and she moved quickly into the room.

A sickly green pattern was etched into the floor in front of us. Kara had almost reached it and was stretching out her hand towards it.

A sound like ice cracking filled my ears.

_*This is the way the world ends,*a woman sang to me._

I felt as though I was finely balanced, a yawning abyss on either side. I felt like an ice skater who has just felt the ice popping and snapping beneath her.

I blinked, and realised that, somehow, Kara still hadn’t touched the green line.

“STOP!” I yelled, and she froze. I scuttled forward gingerly and grabbed her, slinging her over one shoulder. “We need to get out of here. Now.”

“Put me down!” she yelled indignantly, but I was already off and running as fast I could go. The candle guttered and went out as soon as I had started moving, so I used the wall as my guide. It took me moments to reach the stairs. Actually it took me a bit less time than I thought it would, but I managed to catch myself without falling over, just a mashed toe to show for it. Daylight couldn’t come too quickly, and I really hoped that the greenish tinge to the light was just my imagination. The walls might have been half fallen down, but I was a good enough judge of masonry to find one that didn’t look too bad then I leapt from wall to wall and managed to escape the confines of the castle in under a minute. I kept running until the forest had returned to normal, reality felt sturdy again and my panic subsided.

*I think you may have forgotten something.*

Oh?

*On your shoulder?* the Princess asked patiently.

Right, Kara. I dropped her on her feet promptly. This proved to be a mistake, as she immediately fell over. She was awfully pale.

*It’s probably because she has vomited all down your back,” the Assassin helpfully noted.

Oh yes. That was what that smell was. Great.

I pulled out my canteen. “Here, Kara. Wash your mouth out with some water.”

She took the canteen and looked at it as if she thought it might bite her. Then she took a swig before spitting it out. The water came out pale green. I was fairly sure that just meant that she had lost the entirety of the contents of her stomach behind me. Great. I wasn’t sure how many worlds I’d have to travel before I could find a washing machine.

“We have to get up and return to your town,” I urged her. “I’ve seen something like that before.” I paused for a second, working up the courage to say the next sentence. “It destroyed my home, killed almost everyone there.”

She tried to get to her feet, but fell back. I grabbed an outstretched hand and helped her up. “What can we do?” she asked, frightened.

“You have powerful mages there?” I asked. She nodded. “They should be able to shore up this weakness in the world.” I hoped. The people in Lindsey’s world had done this. Surely they could do it here too?

“Where are the horses?” she asked. “We need to get back as quickly as we can.”

“They’re back at the clearing. I could always run back and carry you.”

Kara lost what little colour she had managed to regain and shook her head. “Please, no.”

“Fine. I’ll go and get your horse.”

“If you cut the reins of the other one, he should make it back to the stables by himself.”

Anything that keeps me off his back is fine by me.

My instincts told me to run, to just get out of there and not look back. I tried my best to ignore them. This whole world suddenly felt fragile, as if the shock of world walking might shatter it. I firmed my resolve by imagining what might happen to me if that should happen.

*Not to mention Kara. You care what happens to her,* the Princess added with a certain amount of amusement.

That was also something I was trying to ignore. I couldn't go through that again. The Princess levity vanished.

I found the horses with a bit of work (apparently having to make my way through the woodlands near the Facility had paid off), cut the reins of one and led the other back through the woods to an empty road.

*I think you might not have come back quite the right way, oh mighty tracker.*

Yes, well, going up and down the road aways, I managed to locate Kara.

"Your steed, milady," I made a very bad excuse of a curtsey and handed her the reins.

She'd managed to recover a bit of colour whilst I had been

*On an epic voyage of discovery.*

Retrieving Kara's horse by a slightly suboptimal route, I returned with somewhat less than my usual verve.

*Hah!* The Princess' tone was a little forced as well.

Both of us had demons raised by the current events.

The trip back towards the town was quiet. Kara tried to engage me in conversation, but I used the excuse of running to keep silent. About half of the way back, we ran into a squad of soldiers.

"Princess!" a dark haired thickset man who was obviously in charge said, looking at Kara, then hesistated and looked at me. "Princess?"

"Princess," I said, pointing at Kara. "I'm Keri, a traveller through these parts who ran into Princess Kara here. We've encountered a grave threat to the kingdom within the woods."

The man looked a little skeptical at the wisdom of an unknown sixteen year old girl.

"Listen to her, Malin. It's true!"

"Yes, Princess," he said, apparently even more skeptical of the wisdom of his princess.

Kara rolled her eyes. "See? They won't listen to me."

"We'll take you back to the castle, now, Princess. Your father has been worried about you, and you have a ball to attend this evening."

They were just going to ignore her. And it would happen again. I could feel the Princess starting to formulate ways to get them to listen.

As Malin and his men approached us, I leapt forwards, knocking him off his horse. Then I lifted him and his armour off the ground with one arm.

"I might look like the Princess," I hissed up to his very surprised face, "But I'm not. I'm not from around these parts, and I know what I'm speaking about." I dropped him down into the dust. "Where I came from died because of something like what is in those woods. If you don't want to see your home end up the same way, I suggest you take me to whatever passes for a ruler in this place." His men threw off their shock and started to draw their weapons, but Malin shook his head curtly at them and stood up, redfaced with suppressed rage.

"You'll have your wish. But if you turn out to be lying," he used his superior height to loom above me. "You'll wish you'd never come here."

Kara looked utterly shocked at me. When I thought none of them could see, I winked at her. She made a hand gesture back at me. I figured it probably meant 'You're crazy.'

*I concur,* the Princess said in an offended manner. *There were *far* better ways to handle that.*

*Can't argue with results,* the Assassin pointed out.

*When I want *your* opinion on social niceties, I'll know for sure that I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel.*

Malin remounted his horse, and his men formed up around me, escorting me at a fair clip. Kara trailed along, giving me the occasional apologetic look. I imagine they thought that he was punishing me. In all honesty, I'd just been following Kara's lead in what was a good speed for the horses before. I could have travelled even quicker without too much effort if I'd wanted to.

Malin waved us through the detail at the gate, and we made our way up to the castle at a somewhat more sedate pace. Once there, Kara and I were hurriedly separated. She was presumably rushed off to her rooms to be prepared for the ball. I was shown far less decorous accommodation. The room hummed with warding magics. I thought I might be able to break through them at a stretch, but that would have it's own consequences. I waited.

It took about ten minutes until the door opened again. From behind a wall of muscle comprised of Malin and a few others, an older woman chanted. An intrusive sound stroked icy fingers across me. I closed my eyes so I *would not* react. The chanting stopped, taking the fingers with it.

*I take it you're not going to let me handle this?* the Princess asked.

I ignored her.

I eyed the woman. "Satisfied?" I asked, with an edge in my voice.

"Not entirely," she said. "If you are fey or other magical creature, you are one I have not encountered before."

"One would think that all the more reason to be polite to me," I said, my temper flaring a little. "Especially if I'm trying to help." I was angry at what I'd been subjected to. And scared. So very scared. Scared at what I had encountered. Scared of being confined. Scared for Kara. I was very good at being scared.

She glanced at Malin briefly. "You resisted being detained by the guards."

"If I'd resisted, I wouldn't be here," I said, my anger extinguished. I'm far better at running than you give me credit for.

Malin's face reddened again. Too late I ran my words through my head, and realised what they must have sounded like. Oops.

"Be that as it may, I'm sure you can see why we're alarmed. You look just like our Princess, and you're clearly of magical origin. In lore, dopplegangers never bode well."

"I don't care." I said tiredly. "I'm here to tell you that I believe that your world is in danger of falling apart. Creatures poured through a hole much like the one in those woods, and possessed and killed everyone I knew. Powerful magics can fortify these weaknesses. I hope yours are powerful enough. I don't know these magics myself, sorry."

She was silent a moment. "Do these places happen often where you travel?" she asked carefully.

The words she didn't say I could fill in for myself. Is this your fault? Do you cause these things to happen? It was nothing I hadn't thought myself. Seraphina had told me that powers were stable, that they shouldn't burn out of control and wreck worlds. I had thought I was safe. This brought back that fear. Had I caused this?

*No. You didn't. Kara said that the warping of the world had been there on her last excursion. I would guess that that wasn't today,* the Sorceress said.

Thank you.

I met the woman's eyes. "I was far removed from this land before today. Kara said that she had encountered the signs last time she left the castle. You would know when that was better than I."

She looked over at Malin questioningly. Malin looked embarrassed. "She escaped my custody a week or two back. When we managed to find her, she was talking about mouldy trees in the woodland." He shrugged. "It didn't sound that unusual."

"Very well. This will be investigated." She looked back at me. "What should we do with you?"

I'm not sure whether or not she was actually asking me a question, but I gave her an answer anyway. "There's a possibility that my presence here might make things worse. Neither of us want that. I should leave."

"That'd probably be wise."

I didn't care what she thought of me. I would have liked to see Kara again, but I didn't think that was likely in the near future, and the longer I stayed, the more damage I might do. I'm sorry, Kara. Fare well. "If you show me to the most heavily warded room not proof against travelling magics, I'd be obliged."

She nodded curtly, and led the way, Malin and his friends around me. She led me to a stone room with padded furniture and a table, humming with warding magics. She chanted a while, and some of the wards loosened.

"You should be able to leave from here." She stood against one wall, obviously hoping to study my magics as I left. I didn't care. From what I knew, it seemed doubtful that she'd be able to copy me.

One step foward, and a world away, another stone room greeted me. I kept going. I needed to get away from that world, from the warped woods, the ruined castle, the leprous pattern. I needed to walk until it was safe to run, to run until I could no longer see them. See Kara. Know that I'd failed her. I didn't know what else I could have done, but that didn't stop me feeling like a coward.

The only thing I can't outrun is the fact that I'm still running. Still a victim.


	19. Chapter 19

A bird fluttered down towards me. It didn't trigger my well honed survival instinct, so I merely gave it a suspicious glance and carried on my way, changing world as I did so. The bird, or a reflection thereof, was still with me. Another worldchange. Still there. At this point I managed to catch sight of a small container fastened around one of its legs.

*Get the container, already.*

Excuse me?

*You're just going to world skip another half dozen times to make sure it's following you, which looks pretty likely at this point, angst endlessly over whether to open the message or not and finally curiosity will impel you actually do so, assuming you don't find anything nasty when examining it. So skip the rest of the process and go to the examining part already.*

You can be a real bitch sometimes, you know that?

*It's morning and the sunlight is too bright. Not to mention the fact that you're obnoxiously awake.*

Someone's grumpy.

*That doesn't mean that I'm not right. Now shoo!*

I thought about it. I guessed she could be right. I approached the bird cautiously as it perched on a nearby branch. There was a faint hum of magic to it. Harmonic, like the power use of the people from Amber I'd met. I concentrated, trying to sort out the signature's parts. My variation on Sight wasn't exactly something the Facility (or Seraphina) had been able to train me in, but I didn't think that I'd heard this signature before. The magic didn't sound malicious in any case, and the container didn't sing at all.

The Assassin cast a beady eye over the container. It looked just big enough to contain a scrap of paper.

*I don't see anything wrong with it. But put on your gloves just in case.*

Great. I pulled my gloves on, and spent the next five minutes trying to open the container. I finally swore, pulled one glove off, and did the fiddly part with the bare hand, holding the container with the other.

After all that fuss, the container just held a scrap of paper, holding a simple message:

'Perhaps you should pay a visit to your mother.'

I crumpled the piece of paper and started running, forming a tunnel of light around me.

*Slow down. Think,* the Assassin whispered.

They're threatening Lindsey! I've got to go and save her.

*Then don't lead them straight to her. We were told that the tunnel makes an easy path to follow.*

It's fast. I need to get there quickly.

*Fine. Get to the general area quickly. Be quiet thereafter.*

Will that work?

*I will attempt to muddy your traces once we're there,* the Sorceress said.

You didn't answer my question.

She sighed. *I don't know. It depends on how good they are.*

Well, that was comforting. Though, to be honest, I was more worried that 'they' already had Lindsey. Whoever 'they' were.

 

Getting back close to Lindsey's world was only a few hours effort. The tunnel of light started vibrating somewhat when it encountered the first shattered world. I dissolved the tunnel a few beats after that.

I looked at the desolate world I found myself in. I couldn't hear any others, and there was no green tower. In fact, I couldn't see any sign of life at all. Not a place I'd like to hang out for any length of time, but at least I couldn't sense any threats. From here, I could just walk to Lindsey's world...

*Break the trail.* The Assassin was emphatic.

Excuse me?

*I think she means that it'd a good idea to travel by foot for some way before world walking,* the Sorceress said.

Why did I suspect that the Sorceress had somewhat embellished the Assassin's idea?

*It does sound like a good idea, though. Why make ti easy for anyone following us?* The Princess, deciding to add her tuppence worth.

I got the distinct feeling that I was being ganged up on. I gave in, grumpily, running at a sustainable clip for a few miles, zigging and zagging a little.

Satisfied?

*Yes. If you do this a few more times before going back,* the Assassin said, definitively.

That'll take hours.

*It'll make Lindsey more safe,* the Princess said soothingly.

This had better be it. I need to get home, to see that she's safe.

*We'll get there,* the Princess said.

*And I'll kill anyone who threatens her,* the Assassin added.

Good.

 

The city looked unchanged. I looked up at the cathedral of the Goddess.

Tell me, why did you insist on coming here again? It's halfway across the city.

*You need to break your trail.*

Yes, yes. But it's going to take me almost as long to get to Lindsey's from here as it's taken me to get this far.

*On foot,* said the Sorceress.

Well, yes, but it's not like I have any money to use any other kind of transport.

*Here, I can help. Move forward, and visualise a discarded wallet full of notes.*

I followed her instructions. Hey, there was one just like I imagined in the gutter. Picking it up, it was indeed full of fresh, clean money. Useful trick.

*Indeed.*

I can think of a couple of times it'd been useful before, too.

*You neither needed nor asked for it before.*

You can be really infuriating sometimes, you know that.

She paused for a second. *I must apologise. Being able to do that was one of my secrets. Keeping secrets is one of the ways I've survived this long.*

And it's not a habit you're going to break now?

*It would seem unwise.*

Fine, I guess I can't argue that you haven't helped me when I needed it.

*Thank you.*

 

Time to make my way. I hired some taxis to take me on a semi-random trip across the city and took a couple of underground and bus trips to further break things up. Finally, I stood down the street from Lindsey's house. I waved absently as the taxi sped away.

Watchers?

*None that I can see. Let's prowl a little first.*

On a rooftop overlooking Lindsey's house our paranoia paid off. There were cameras and an aerial. There was the hum of various magics around the devices, but muted as though they were dormant. For the moment. Someone had obviously been spying on her.

I saw movement inside the house. My heart leapt, then I almost collapsed with relief as I saw it was Lindsey. She looked calm, unstressed, just like the last time I had seen her. Well, not the very last - she always cried when I left. Most importantly, she didn't look as though anything had happened to her, or as if she were being held prisoner or something. I relaxed against the wall. Someone was playing games with me. I didn't like it.

Does anyone know how we could trace where this information is going to?

Resounding silence.

Fine, let's try and find an expert.

 

This proved to be a little more tricky than I had hoped. Luckily, now that I had seen Lindsey I felt I had a little time to spend. Whoever had sent me that note wanted me to come back here. I was hoping that the next stage of their plan wouldn't start until I had actually arrived. It was something to tell myself as I was nervously drumming my fingers waiting for an interview with Everwake's security expert.

What do you think? I asked the Assassin.

*Hard to tell. This place doesn't look as much of a joke as some of those other places.*

The Assassin had vetoed some of them without even walking in the door. She was kind of picky.

"Mr Phillipson will see you now," the secretary told me. The young man gave me yet another doubtful look as I entered the door beside him. Apparently a scruffy teenage girl wasn't his idea of their usual clientele. Tough.

Mr Philipson was a middleaged man who looked like he spent most of his time behind a desk. His eyes were hard behind his spectacles, though. I felt the Assassin rouse, though she didn't say anything. I guessed that meant we both thought he was dangerous, then.

"Please, sit down, Miss... Smith." He gave me a brief disbelieving glance as he read out my name.

I sat down, and did my best to seem relaxed. The Assassin was ready to spring at a moment, though.

"What can we at Everwake do for you?"

"I'd like to hire some security."

"I'll need more details."

The Assassin obliged him with a fictional setup involving a stalker, whilst introducing several constraints such as a social life involving clubbing. I had learned some of this with Special Operations, but I sat back and let the mistress do her work.

*He knows what he's talking about,* she concluded.

I felt a little warm. That had been my opinion, but it's always nice to get a passing mark. Time to introduce the actual reason why I was here.

"Thank you, Mr Philipson, that is very satisfactory."

"This package will cost..."

I waved a hand, cutting him off. It worked. Maybe I've been spending too much time with the Princess. "I'm very sorry, but that was something of a test scenario. I needed to know that I was dealing with a professional."

His eyes narrowed. An angry Mr Philipson was quite suddenly somewhat intimidating. "I don't have time to waste on a girl's games. Would you please leave?" He reached for his intercom.

"How much is your time worth?"

"Why?"

"I do have a job I need to you to do. Charge the wasted time to that bill."

"Go on." His anger subsided, but was quite evidently near the surface.

"A friend of mine has come under surveillance. I've found some devices, but I need them traced. Quietly and professionally. If someone is still watching them, I don't want them to find out."

"Who are you? How old are you really?"

I ignored the questions. The answers would only complicate things. "I'm not asking you to do anything illegal."

He quoted me an eye watering number.

*He thinks you're trouble, Keri,* the Princess said amusedly.

He'd be right. But hopefully not for him. I didn't have that money on me, but hopefully I could raise it with a bit of time using the Sorceress' trick.

I nodded. I got most of my remaining money out of the wallet. It was still a sizable amount, even if was nowhere near what he'd just quoted. "This should do as an advance. As long as you understand that you'll get nothing else if you let whoever is on the other side of those devices that you were there."

He looked at me for a moment, then nodded. "I'll have our lawyer draw up a contract."

*I get the horrible feeling that our 'advance' has already paid for the job.*

Ah well. I'd guess that he'd still try for the bonus. And he's definitely the best so far.

*By some way,* the Assassin said.

 

I looked at the report and rubbed my eyes a little. I'd gone to bed last night with all the wallets I'd had to find seemingly burned into my retinas. I'd then had a restless night where I had wound myself tighter and tighter worrying about what the next stage would mean for Lindsey. I almost got up and dashed for her house to make sure she was alright several times before forcing myself to calm down and stay in the hotel room.

The report used lots of technical jargon. Apparently Philipson had decided that since I was obviously an expert, I was familiar with the lingo.

"Can you go through the basics for me?"

Philipson gave me a funny look, but complied. "We found several more devices apart from the one you highlighted. As you requested, we haven't interfered with them at this stage. We've started trying to trace them, but they all seem to be fairly standard securityware. I don't hold out much hope of getting much there. We've attached devices that should allow us to trace any access of the bugs, but they're all currently inactive. We'll of course let you know should this change. How would you like us to contact you?"

I gave him the number of a phone I'd purchased yesterday. "I'll be out of contact for periods of time, so don't be concerned if I don't phone back immediately."

I could see him mentally filing that fact, along with my other anomalies. I'd love to see what he was making of all this. I'd wish him luck, but it'd probably be safer if he didn't.

"Thank you, Mr Philipson." I nodded and turned to leave his office.

"Miss Smith," he said, with only a trace of sarcasm.

Time to visit Lindsey.

 

"Keri! How are you? How were your travels?" I thought briefly of Kara, and stopped myself flinching. "You must tell me all about them."

Great. I hugged her. "They were great, Mum."

Her eyes softened at the M-word and her arms tightened around me a little. I felt a little bad about using it to distract her. "You must be tired. Let's get you sat down. Are you hungry?"

"Orange juice and toast, please."

She bustled happily in the kitchen. Mum always had been a feeder. She brought it in on a tray. "There you go. Oh, before I forget," she hurried off again "One of your friends left you this." She handed me a white envelope with my name written on it in a neat, flowing script.

*Don't touch it!* the Assassin hissed.

I almost flinched, but overcame it and deliberately tried to take the envelope nonchalantly. I didn't want to worry her.

*You'll worry her a lot more if you die,* the Assassin grumbled.

I waited a few seconds. Apparently no sudden death. I looked over it carefully. Anything? I asked the Assassin.

*Nothing I can see.*

There wasn't the hum of magic either.

"I was surprised that one of your 'special' friends knew where I lived," Lindsey said, smiling. "What have you been telling them about me? Nothing bad, I hope."

I smiled a little distractedly. "I'd only ever speak the best of you, mother."

She giggled. "Nicely done. If only I would have had the wisdom to say that to my mother at your age."

"Who was it?"

She wrinkled her brow. "I don't think he said. He was about so high," she held her hand above her head, about average height for a man "short red hair, well spoken. I'm guessing he was one of your teachers. You know the one."

"Oh, him," I said vaguely and ate a piece of toast washed down with juice whilst I gathered my courage. Having finished off the toast, I couldn't really put it off any longer. I wiped my hands on the napkin, and got out one of my knives. It was not one of my little ones. Lindsey frowned a little, but didn't say anything. It smoothly opened the envelope. Inside was a message written on good quality cardstock:

'Dearest Keri,  
Firstly, I would suggest you learn to protect your family a little better. I am relieved that it was I who followed the trail to your delightful mother, rather than someone with less than savoury intentions. Secondly, I would like to speak with you at your convenience. You may reach me through the Facility, through Amber, or by creature of desire.  
Best regards,  
Brand.'

I'd kill him. I would actually kill one of my relatives if he didn't manage to talk very quickly when I met him.

I chatted for a bit longer with Lindsey about various things and promised faithfully to meet up with her tomorrow for the long promised visit to the Great Library. It shouldn't take that long to do my errands.

Do you know how to do one of these creatures of desire he's talking about?

*No,* the Sorceress said regretfully.

I felt something stir at the back of my mind. The mysterious fourth presence held me in it's hands, and guided me as I walked looking for a suitable bird. I recognised the right one instantly.

That'll take my message to Brand?

I received an impression of the affirmative. Great. I really didn't want to go to Amber, given that, among other things, I was told I had relative who wanted me dead. Now, what message should I give?

'Dearest Brand,  
I tried popping in at your quarters in Amber, but you didn't seem to be in. Oh well. Possibly another time. Would you like to meet up at the Facility gates midday a week hence, since you seem to know it?  
Regards,  
Keri.'

I only wished that sarcasm, and possibly knives, translated well in the written form. Ah well, I guessed we'd have to meet for that. How *dare* he threaten Lindsey.

 

The visit to the Great Library was alright, I guess, if I hadn't been distracted by other things. I needed to make sure that this didn't happen again. One glaring source of information was the Facility. Granted, it seemed likely that several members of my family, among others, had already accessed this information, but I could always try and do *some* damage control. And I knew just the person to see about it.

 

The guard patterns at the Facility had changed. Last time, they were spread out, watching for enemies. Now they were clumped into small groups, watching each other. As I appeared near the gates, two of the nearest groups converged on me. One of the groups had a smattering of people wearing armbands with the Hendrake symbol. No prizes about guessing who they favoured. Oh joy.

"Name and purpose?" Scaly from before, sporting a nice new armband.

"Keridwen A'Court. Former student. Visiting."

He scowled at me. "Can you prove that?"

I was little nonplussed. He'd let me in last time, and it wasn't as though I had ID. I didn't think the Facility *had* ID. They had systems for that.

"That's alright," came a familiar voice from the other group. I looked to confirm. Alicia. How had I managed to miss her? She nodded to me. "I recognise her."

"That's not good enough. She's not a member of staff or a student."

"I'll remember that next time some of your non regulation friends come calling."

He bared his teeth at her.

"Do you really want to start something here?" she asked with a bored tone to her voice.

Scaly snarled, then turned and marched away, the rest of his squad moving with him.

"You might want to be careful, kid. It's not as safe here as it used to be." She gave me something approaching a smile and let me past.

The Facility really was going to pot. And Alicia sticking up for me? I wasn't sure which I thought more improbable.

Still, no reason to look the gift horse in the mouth. I scuttled into the Facility.

 

It wasn't that hard to find Jinx. She had a certain notoriety among the students and staff. Especially the support staff. They had a vested interest in knowing where she was at all times.

"Heya, Keri." The recent upheavals had left her completely unfazed as far as I could see. She was as bright and perky as ever.

"Hiya Jinx," I replied.

"So, what're you doing back in this dump? I heard you graduated. Thought you'd have bigger and better things to do than come back here."

"Unfinished business, alas. I need some help."

She rocked back on her heels. "So what can Jinx do for you?"

"I'd like my details erased from the system. Completely, preferably."

*Wait!* the Princess hissed.

"Um..." I said and held up a hand. Jinx looked as if she had been about to say something, but waited to see what I was saying.

*I'd suggest leaving your ID on file. You know, so if you'd like to visit your classmastes or Seraphina again, you can. No need to make the guards lives easier.*

"On second thoughts, I'd like enough details to remain to confirm that I attended here. Just all the background stuff and any reports."

Jinx nodded, "Can do. I'll need a favour in return."

I winced slightly. I'd been expecting this, but the favours Jinx asked in return had a habit of getting you in more trouble than what she had gotten you out of. "Sure."

"You can travel worlds, right?"

Well, at least I wouldn't be doing anything inside the facility from the sounds of it. "Yes..."

"I'd like you to check on my homeworld." Jinx was unexpectedly sober for once. "Make sure the old place is holding up."

"Uh, sure. Assuming you give me enough information to get there."

"I'll tell you what I can..."

I listened to her background magical hum. I hoped that that would be enough for me to recognise the world when I heard it. She gave me as many of the details as she could. Her file illuminated a few more, but, still, it was going to take a while to find it. I guess I was going to have to go and tell Mum that I wouldn't be able to join her on those trips after all.

 

_I felt the harmonics of the magic trail ticklishly across my hands as I wove them into ever more complicated melodies. I grinned conspiratorily at the girl next to me, her pale green skin setting off her red dress beautifully. She was such a relief against the unrelenting monotonous grey of the Facility._

_She hummed as she wove her magic perfectly in harmony with mine, her voice blending with mine. Exhilaration and fear battled within me. Just then..._

 

I awoke to the sound of fighting, knife in hand courtesy of the Assassin.

What the hell? I was fairly sure that I hadn't gone to sleep in a war zone. Quite a nice inn, actually.

*I *know* you didn't miss that messenger barreling past us towards the guard station.*

It didn't seem like any of our business.

*Just like the radio we passed reporting that enemy soldier had been sighted near the city, and that all citizen should report to the bunkers...*

There was a reason I changed worlds. Look, you don't need to go on. We had lessons on this. The Ripple effect, they called it. Large events, especially by those of power, cause similar changes in worlds nearby.

The Assassin moved my body behind the door. The sounds of fighting had spread and I heard movement downstairs. I grabbed my backpack. Time to leave.

 

_Steps went upwards seemingly into infinity. I turned and faced the wooden door. I blinked, and it was a stone door. No, a metal bound door. It flickered faster and faster. Always different. Always the same. Always locked. But I thought I had figured out how to get past it._

 

I concentrated on the music of the world. I could isolate a few of the strains that were the same as Jinx's. I was heading in the right direction. A flicker of movement. I tried to slowly move behind a tree. A young man with a bow eased into view, looking nervously around. A bird call, from above. The man nocked and loosed an arrow in one smooth action. A bird corpse fell with a thump. It had a message wrapped around one claw. The man retrieved and opened it. I didn't need to read it myself. His expression confirmed the sick feeling in my stomach. It was news of war. I skipped worlds, trying to keep the threads that I had found steady..

 

_I looked upwards at a giant and giggled as he swung me up into the air, his orange and yellow and brown clothing flapping in the air._

_"Daddy," I called, "Higher, higher!"_

_Another giant, raven black hair and beard, stood shaking with amusement in his green and gold._

_"Oh, brother, you do spoil her."_

 

A woman whimpered before me, her clothes stained with her own blood, breathing too quickly, face white as a sheet.

Isn't there anything we can for her?

My sisters were silent.

"I'm sorry," I said, panicking slightly. "I wasn't taught how to deal with these kind of wounds." They're too deep. You're losing blood too quickly.

"Please," she said, weakly. "Please, you've got to take this to the council." She pressed a parchment into my hand, her blood covering both it and my hand in crimson.

"Please," she whispered as consciousness faded.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, and held her whilst she died.

*You've got to learn to let go, sometimes,* the Princess whispered, her unseen tears belying her words.

*You've got to learn how to see people die,* the Assassin said emotionlessly .

 

_Time flickered past in a blur. Lessons were for learning. Training was for putting into practice. Running through the moonlit streets. Slipping over wet roofs. Moving as quietly as a shadow past torchlight. Hunting targets through the darkness. Different faces, all the same._

 

I was pressed by crowds against a wall. Some people were cheering. Many more were sullen. It was becoming harder and harder to make sure that I didn't lose any of the background melodies I had managed to gather. I thought I was getting close to her world. A car surrounded by guards drove past. A shot rang out, blood flying from the man's head. There was only a second before screams erupted and the guards started firing into the crowd. War had come again.

 

_A castle was silhouetted briefly against a darkening sky by a flash of light. Thunder followed, rumbling the windows near me. Pressure built in my head, along with a sense of uneasy anticipation. There was a moment that felt like it could last forever, but it doesn't, and with its end came the storm, sweeping everything away with it._

_"This is the way the world ends._

_This is the way it always ends._

_This is the way it begins," said a woman's voice._

 

I stood uncertainly. I was fairly sure that Jinx's world was the next one over. I was just afraid to take that final step. Everywhere I had gone on this trip, war had been coming. Everywhere I gone, war had arrived as I had.

*You're afraid because you've been taking the storm with you,* the Sorceress said.

Thanks.

*Your hands are covered in the crimson of others. The bearer of the message of death,* she continued as if in a trance.

No, really. You can stop now.

I could feel her come to awareness *I wish I could have. I'm sorry, Keri.*

I relaxed. It's fine. Is there anything we can do? You know, to not do this.

*I'll try my best.* She started humming.

I stepped forwards. The world changed.

 

Like the last world, the air was filled with the choking smell of industrial pollutants. Like the last worlds, it was populated by short humanoids with metallic blue skin. Unlike the last world, there wasn't a feeling of imminent violence in the air, just the usual bustle of a city. Also, people stopping to look at me. Eep. Maybe it was time to pull a quick fade.

A couple of alleys and a quick dash up a fire escape later, I thought I had lost any interested pursuers for the moment. I concentrated. As far as I could tell, the melody of this world matched Jinx. It certainly looked how she had described it.

I guess the first good news I could tell her was that it was still here and seemingly intact. I lurked and listened for a bit, and overheard a myriad of day to day conversations, as well as some talk about some problems with a neighbouring country. But nothing concrete yet. I'd managed to outrun the storm.

Still, in times of tension no one welcomed the unusual. Now that I had found the place and done a little scouting, it was time to return to the Facility. Tomorrow, I'd face Brand.

 

I awoke the next morning refreshed and ready, without any of those freaky vivid dreams that had been plaguing me for the last week. Maybe I'd escaped them too.

 

"Your world seems to be fine. Pretty much as you file says."

"Good, good." Jinx seemed a little distracted. "I've wiped your files. No one should be able to find out anything more from them. There's even a virus in there that should destroy any content about you in anything that links to the system."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I like to be thorough."

"See you around."

"Bye"

 

Waiting for Brand was difficult. Over the last week, my anger had banked, but the red hot coals were still there. What did he want? Why had he threatened Lindsey to get it? One thing was for certain. If he tried to push me, I'd push back.

A scrawny ginger haired man approached the gate. From his lack of tattoos, I guessed he probably another ex student. I kept one eye on him out of habit but otherwise ignored him.

"Keridwen?"

I looked at him. "Yes?"

He offered his hand. "Hi! I'm Brand." I looked at the hand. It did look like it'd snap awfully easily.

*Keri, you do realise there are two groups of guards paying an intense amount of interest in us?* the Princess asked with a certain degree of nervousness.

Probably best not here. However much I was tempted.

Brand had continued on, seemingly oblivious to my internal dialogue. "Prince Brand, really. But let's not be formal, so just call me Brand." He waved his hand a bit, as if worried that I might not have seen it. I took it, carefully. Only exerting a bit of pressure on it. Brand winced a little. "Ah, just like my brothers. Except Random, of course. You should fit right in. Welcome to the family, by the way." He shot me a smile. "I suspect that I'm not the only member of the family to have given you that greeting, of course."

I released his hand. "So. What did you want to talk to me about?"

He looked around at the guards. "Not here. Do you really want to speak here?"

I saw old Scaly amongst them. "Maybe not. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

*Because your last trip following one of your relatives went *so* well.*

A girl can dream, can't she?

"Oh yes, I know just the place. Follow me." He started walking, and, as I followed the worlds started to change around me.

*So, if, hypothetically, there's a sniper waiting at the end of this trip, will you push him out of the way too?*

I'll get back to you on that.

His world walking style was different to both mine and what I had observed of Flora's. Flora's style was smooth and light, a whispery touch against the senses. She made me feel like a blundering elephant in comparison, especially when using the tunnel of light. Otherwise, I tried to let my senses guide me, trying for a compromise of speed and energy expended. Efficient, I liked to think, though I had no real idea of how well I succeeded at that.

Brand seemed to ramble as much in his world walking as he did in his speech. When I tried to keep track of our path, it made *my* head spin. Must be hell if you were trying to follow him. I really had no idea about how good it was at getting from point A to point B, though. Keeping an eye on where we were going was made even more difficult, of course, by the fact that Brand kept on talking.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked to meet you. Well, apart from the pleasure of meeting new members of the family. We hadn't been introduced. Well, I'm fairly sure that we haven't been introduced. I'd think I'd remember."

"You'd think. I'm more interested in why you threatened my mother."

"Threat." He wrinkled his brow. "That wasn't a threat. I just wanted to get in contact with you, and leaving a message with your mother seemed the best way." I was about to ask him why he didn't just send an invitation the same way he told me to visit my mother when he continued. "She was easy enough to find. You might want to be more careful about covering your tracks by the way. I found your trails all over those worlds easily enough."

Not to mention probably raiding the Facility files. "I guess you could blame the person I was taught by."

"That would seem entirely reasonable. Shocking, shocking. Who was that, by the way?"

I used my standard evasion. "I'm sure if they'd wanted you to know, they'd have told you."

"Yes, yes. Anyway, the reason I wanted to meet you - Oh, this looks like a nice place." We'd somehow arrived at a very expensive restaurant overlooking crashing waves on a beach. I'd swear we were in a mountain pass just seconds ago. Brand ambled in. "Reservation for two. Name of Brand."

The waiter looked at his list, and guided us to a private booth overlooking the ocean.

"A bottle of your finest red wine, please," Brand said.

"Water. I'm good with water."

The waiter disappeared.

"No wine?"

I shook my head. I figured that I'd need a clear head for this.

"How old are you, anyway? It's so hard to tell with family."

"Sixteen, seventeen."

"Probably best no wine, then." He smiled dreamily. "Not that that ever stopped me a child. I remember Fiona sneaking me some after banquets." He focussed on me again. "It's also awfully young to have walked the Pattern. When did you say you walked the Pattern again?"

"I don't believe I did."

He looked enquiringly at me. I had to fight a smile. He was so distractable it was very hard to stay angry at him. It was just hard to believe that he could stick with a plan long enough to threaten Lindsey.

*Which doesn't mean that this isn't an act.*

Well, indeed.

I did my best to look mysterious. Brand looked like he was going to say something else, but then the waiter arrived to take our orders. After that was done and he'd disappeared again, Brand continued.

"As I was saying, the reason I wanted to see you is because I'm researching demons."

"Demons?" I was blank. I was hardly an expert on them.

"Yes, it's what I call a race of being that reproduce by infection. Either on a personal basis, or via reality restructuring."

"So you're not talking about the Unification servitor races?"

"They call them demons too? How confusing. I really must get on to them about that." Good luck with that. "No, no. I'm talking about the beings that invaded your world."

Demons. I guess that was as good a name as any.

"So you see why I wanted to speak to you? You've had contact with them. You been there during an infection event. I don't know anyone else who has survived one of those, especially anyone who might have the senses to notice something useful. They're new, you know."

I nodded, more to show the fact that I was still paying attention than indicate comprehension. I wasn't even sure which 'they' he was speaking about.

"Infection events used to be rare, and always just one person. Maybe that person would infect a few others, but that was as far as it'd go. Now? Now we're getting worlds converted at a time, reality being reshaped within them. Even, sometimes, those worlds infect others near them. We have to find out what is going on."

And by we, you mean you. "I don't know what I can tell you." After all, it was all in the reports the Facility took down.

"I want to hear it in your words. There might be something they missed."

Fine. If it might help... I closed my eyes and thought back. "I was twelve. Twelve and a half. I was in the living room. The TV was on. One of the people on it said 'This is the way the world ends.' Then there was a sound, a screaming. The world screamed." I held myself with my arms. "My parents were there. In the hallway. I don't know why. I think, I think they might have been coming to check on me. But they were twitching, jerking." Brand laid a hand on me gently, his face a picture of concern. I hid my face in my hands. "They were merging. Their flesh becoming one. I didn't know what to do! I was only twelve! So I ran. Ran out of the apartment, down the stairs. There was a crunching noise as Mrs Jenkins hit the floor. She must have jumped. I don't know why. I hid in the basement, away from everyone." I swallowed. "I hid until I smelt smoke. The building was on fire. I had to get out. Outside there was a crowd, throwing themselves into the fire one by one. I survived, somehow. Eventually, I found other survivors, but they didn't trust me. Thought I was some kind of trick. Years past. Then came the chanting. Day and night. Always chanting. And the world started to fall apart. People, things started blipping in and out of other worlds. A green tower came. I think they summoned it." I opened my hands, returned to the present, locked the horrors away, felt drained. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that again, Keri. I needed to know. Do you think that you'd know the chanting again?" He was speaking almost normally.

I nodded.

The waiter arrived with our food, and we started eating, Brand with some vigour. I wasn't feeling that hungry after going back over my memories and picked at my meal.

Brand swallowed a bite. "Good. After lunch would you be willing to go visit a place? I'd like to confirm that the chanting is the same."

Must I? But I nodded again. Maybe it could help against them.

"Are the 'demons' anything to do with the force that invaded the Facility recently?" It seemed like there should be some kind of connection.

"No, no. It's a theory others have had, but it's wrong. My investigations show that demons are an internal force, natural to our reality." He stopped for moment, thinking. "You've had medical training?" I nodded, though the question seemed more rhetorical than anything else. "Consider them a cancer, if you will, where cells occasionally go wrong and exhibit abberant behaviours. The force that invaded the Facility, the Other, are distinctly different. All the evidence that I have found points to them being external to our reality. In our metaphor, you might consider them to be a bacterium or possibly a virus. Two separate forces, exhibiting some similar behaviour in general, but quite different in detail."

"Virii and bacteria can cause cancers."

He waved a spoon at me. "Now you're just being difficult. The value of a metaphor only extends as far as the listener understands its limitations. Anyway, I'm interested in demons for the moment. The Other, while doubtless fascinating in their own right, can wait for another time. Is there anything else, anything at all, you can tell me about demons?"

"Well..." I described what I found in Kara's world.

"A ruined castle, you say? With a green glowing design beneath it? Fascinating." He retrieved a sketchpad and pencil from beneath the table which I didn't remember him having when we sat down. He doodled a bit on one sheet. "Tell me, did the design look like this?"

I wasn't as though I'd memorised the damn thing. "Something like that," I said vaguely.

"Hmmm... it seems likely it was a broken pattern. An imperfection reflection of the Pattern beneath Amber," he explained to my uncomprehending face.

I nodded and tried to act as though I knew what he was speaking about, since he seemed to think I should.

"Even reflections can have power, and broken patterns retain enough that they can be quite potent. Without examining it further, I'd speculate that the green glow represents a corruption performed by the demons. They seem to be quite adept at such things. As to why it appeared, the most likely explanation is that the pattern was originally in a nearby shadow, and the demons used its power to create beachheads in neighbouring worlds." He frowned. "The idea is quite troubling. To my knowledge this is the first time they have been able to do something like this to something of power. It does not bode well."

Brand put his cutlery down and I'd realised that he'd finished his meal. I sighed, looking down at my nearly full plate. "Do you want to go to this place that you wanted to show me?" Might as well get it over and done with. I'm not hungry, anyway.

"Are you sure? You haven't finished your meal yet. It's a very nice meal, even if I do say so myself. It shouldn't go to waste."

I pushed my plate away.

"Very well." He got up, and walked smartly out of the door, nodding to the waiter on the way past.

The waiter had just about realised that Brand wasn't going to pay and started to chase after us, when Brands twisted the world and we were somewhere else. The life of a prince of Amber, I guess.

 

He resumed his seemingly random walk through worlds, until he suddenly stopped and we were in the middle of a medieval looking town. People were going around their normal business, walking, carrying objects, tending animals, making things. The odd thing was that everyone who wasn't actively talking was humming. Everyone who was humming, was humming in tune. I felt the hair raise on the back of my neck. It was truly, desperately creepy.

"Listen to the sound." Brand didn't need to specify which one. "Do you recognise anything about it?"

"It's not the chanting," I said doubtfully. But there was something familiar.

"Oh," Brand said, a little deflated. "Are you sure? Because I was sure that this might be a variant first stage infection. And I'm very rarely wrong..."

He started burbling, but I blocked him out and concentrated on the humming. What was so familiar about it? The back beat. I recognised that from the chanting back home. But it wasn't the actual chanting, it was from the sound of the accompanying magic. Once I'd had that thought, I quickly managed to resolve the humming into the other magical parts from the ritual 'they' had been conducting.

"It's not the chanting," I said more firmly, cutting Brand off. "It's the sound of the magic they were creating."

"Oh, fascinating." He retrieved a book from his pocket and made a note in it. "So they're trying to recreate the magic using human voices. How delightfully odd."

*Only Amberites hear magic,* the Sorceress noted.

I'd just been coming to the same conclusion myself, just a little slower.

"Those from Unification see magical auras. They don't hear them."

"Huh. I really should try and make contact with some of their sorcerors. It might give me a new perspective on all kinds of problems. Of course, there is the slight problem that we're at war with Chaos, at least in a theoretical sense. Oh, such a palaver. But there is your old school, the Facility. I know it has rather a bad name amongst some of our family as a recruiting ground for Chaos, but I've always found them rather reasonable myself. Well, in the short time I've had to get to know them, which probably isn't them at their best, I'll grant you."

I felt it was time to attempt a distraction. I didn't really want him around the Facility if I could help it. "What I meant is that they're expressing the magic the way an Amberite would."

"That's true. How fascinating. I wonder what that means? It'd have to connected to the corrupted broken pattern, wouldn't it? I wonder..." His eyes narrowed and he trailed off into silence. "Anyway, it doesn't look like the barriers between worlds have degraded nearly to the extent they have near where you grew up. I was there, recently, researching the Shadow Shatter, as I call it. It seems to be approaching some kind of final stage, though I'm really not sure what it'll look like when it gets there. Just a continuation of the process, or a metamorphosis into something new? Nice work stabilising your mother's shadow, by the way. A little crude, a little crude, but *very* ingenious. I must go back and investigate it some time."

"No! You can't!"

He looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Why ever not? If I can figure out what makes it tick, and why it worked, it could be invaluable to my research."

"You could damage the world." Lindsey. All those millions of people.

He waved a hand. "Oh, don't worry. We'd get your mother off first. But it could tell us so much about what the demons are doing with shadows. I know there's some risk, but just think what we could discover..."

"Find another way, Brand." My anger with him came back.

"Is the world yours, then? Oh, how disappointing." He looked down for a second, but then was back to his usual manic self. "Still, if you want to keep it secret, you really need to do a better job of it. I suppose I could teach you," he pondered. "I mean, who else? Well, there's Fiona, but she's not as good at I am. Not any real experience outside of Amber. Flora is a better teacher, but she doesn't have a real grasp of the higher arts of Pattern, poor dear. And it wouldn't be treasonous, because you've obviously walked the Pattern, and you wouldn't have been able to do that without permission. It's sorted then," he concluded, obviously feeling no need to include me in the discussion. "Of course, whilst you are serving your apprenticeship, you can help me with my research. You do seem to have some talent at that, as untutored as you are." He shook his head sadly. "If I ever find out who taught you, I will definitely have to have some words with them. I just don't think that it's proper having a member of the royal family having all the grace and elegance of a bull elephant." Hey! “Anyway, we’ll obviously need some way of getting in contact. I do assume that you haven’t been gifted with a set of Trumps?” He raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head. A single card does not a set make.

He reached inside a pocket and retrieved a pack of cards. Sorting through them, he handed me a card depicting himself. "Do you know how to use one of these? Never mind," he continued, "I wouldn't trust whoever taught you after seeing the results of their tuition in Pattern. Concentrate on the image, hear the magic. Let it flood your senses."

I did as he instructed and felt - something.

"Good. Now push towards that pressure in your mind and - " as I did so, I felt the pressure unfold and suddenly it was like I was looking at the scene from two different places. Where I was standing, and from just in front of Brand. "There you have it. A Trump contact. Now, you have a take a certain amount of care with these things - they establish contact between your minds, which can be used to do all manner of nasty things." He smiled brightly. "But that'll be a lesson for another day. Of course, it'd be useful if I could contact you. Luckily, I can draw Trumps, given a bit of time. Would you mind?"

"What would it entail?" My anger had somehow disappeared, but I was still suspicious.

He struck his head theatrically. "I keep on forgetting you are so new to this. It's a problem. Never enough youngsters. You just assume everyone knows the basics. Just stand there and let me draw you. Simple enough. If you are like some of my kin, you might want to think of dramatic pose. Otherwise, don't bother."

I looked around. Whilst we had been talking, Brand had been marching back and forth, and we were now in a forested world. He had managed to find a chair and easel from somewhere, had set his sketchpad up on the easel and was readying his paints. This looked like it could take some time. I found a convenient tree to slouch against, and waited.

"Is that your pose?" he asked. I nodded. It seemed as good as any other. "I don't believe you answered my question about whether or not you'd mind having your Trump drawn by me."

"Ah, sure." It seemed useful, I guess.

The next half hour was spent by Brand painting and telling me not to move whenever I shifted uncomfortably. Finally it was over, and Brand carefully shut his pad and packed up his paints.

"Well, keep safe. I'll contact you when your lessons are to begin." And he walked off and disappeared. He reappeared a second later with a large tome in hand. "I almost forgot. These are some of my notes. They should be enough to get you started. Try to have read and understood this by the first lesson. I'm sure it won't be too much trouble." He waved and disappeared again.

Great. It appeared that I'd been enrolled in school again.

 

_I was sitting at a table, cutting and shuffling some cards over and over again. The back of the chair was digging into my back, causing me to sit more upright than was really comfortable. The table I was staring at was old and scuffed, dented and chipped. Around me I could hear the hum of wards and barriers, layer after layer, signature after signature in an orchestra of noise. Some sounded as ancient as the faint echo of a bell. Some sounded barely weeks old. The whole room had an impression of age, like the Facility had been buiilt around it rather than the other way around._

_There was someone else in the room, but that wasn't what I was paying attention to. Rather it was the cards themselves that were my focus. Around and around they went, the hum of their magics shifting slightly as they interacted._

_There! Their music harmonised, and I started flipping them one by one onto the table, in their designated positions. I was aware that there were many cards on the table, but the three in the centre held my attention._

_At the apex of the triangle was an upside down card featuring a young girl in a white shift holding two bloody knives. The background was dark, but there was an impression of a circular symbol. It seemed to change when I was not focussed on it. Maybe a wheel, a knotted rope, a serpent? At what would would be the bottom of the card was written Death._

_The leftmost card featured a green limned tower, lightning striking the top then arcing towards a figure falling. It was a woman dressed in rune etched metal, surrounded by a tracery of light that could be wings. The name of the card was the The Tower._

_The rightmost card held a vast, old tree who branches and trunk disappeared into the boundaries of the image. From one branch hung an upside down figure bound with vines. The figure was an old woman swathed in black robes. One arm was free, holding an apple. The words written at the bottom were The Hanged Woman._

_Somewhere, dimly, I recognised one more thing. All of these women had my face. And then that awareness was gone, as I shifted my attention from the triumvirate at the centre to the wider picture, seeking the whole design. For a moment, I thought I had it, but it was gone and I sighed in frustration._

_I felt a touch on my arm, and looked up with a smile, despite my bitter mood. "Did you find it?" she asked, her green features holding a mix of expectation and resignation._

_"I almost had it this time." I gathered the cards and stood up._

_She slipped an arm around me, and held me. "Never mind. Maybe next time. We will keep trying."_

_I relaxed into her for a second before slipping free. "Yes, but we need to leave before we're missed."_

_I slipped out of the room, Llewella following me._

I woke up. The green skinned girl was Llewella? Well, she had said that they'd gone to the Facility together.

*Hey, I've just realised,* the Princess said, "Seraphina and Llewella - they kind of sound like each other. Certainly speak like each other.*

What? Are you saying that Seraphina is Llewella in disguise?

*Not at all. Just that, if you were of a certain mind, one might remind you of the other.*

Just what *are* you trying to say, then?

She sighed. *Nothing, little Miss Denial. Anyway, on a somewhat related note, I hope you get to have some nice erotic dreams about them sometime soon.*

Excuse me? This is *my* head and *my* dreams you're talking about here!

*Look, it's very simple. I've only ever had sex with one person - my late unbeloved husband - and he tried to kill me. In all likelihood, if I ever have sex again, it'll be to another affair of state husband. I deserve, no, I *demand* to experience erotic, intimate love. It's really the least you can do.*

Apparently you can't die of embarrasment, despite my best efforts. I held my hands over my flaming cheeks. I was *so* glad that no one else was around. And I definitely refused to admit that I was uncomfortably conscious of certain parts of my body. Stupid dream.

I stretched and became aware of a pressure on my chest. Oh yes. I remembered now. I had been trying to read Brand's book. That had been a mistake. Luckily I had retired to bed first. I glared at it as if it were responsible for the dream.

*I wonder,* the Sorceress said.

Yes? Possibly you want to read this book so I don't have to.

*I don't think that would be a good idea. Education is important.*

I blew a raspberry at her in the privacy of my own mind.

She loftily ignored me. "*I wonder if we can find those cards in the dream. I'd like to examine them.*

It's just a dream.

*Uhuh,* said the Princess.

Well, apparently, I have an education to explore. I opened the book and the words swam before me. I knew who would love this. Maybe Broadway could help me understand it.

*I'm sure that Brand would just love you sharing his secret workbook with the crown prince of Unification.*

Oh, hush you. If none of you are willing to help, I'll just have to find someone who is. I placed Brand's book on the bedside cabinet. Tomorrow.

 

I woke up groggily, knife in hand. Smoke was in the air. Orange flames were flickering underneath the door. What in the Goddess' name? Instinct had me look around just in time to see a figure crash through my bedroom window. Great.


	20. Chapter 20

I dived out of the window, firelight flickering on the three mechanical monstrosities behind me, a shard of metal whizzing over my shoulder. As I plunged towards the ground a story below, I reflected that this night could have gone better, and braced myself for impact. Clasping Brand's book firmly to my chest certainly wasn't going to make the landing any easier.

To my surprise I hit the ground with a wet sound and sunk immediately up to my chest. Okay, that *had* gone better than expected. The background buzzing of magic present ever since the attack started intensified and the ground started hardening. 

That wasn't so good.

The squirming around my leg went spastic. Apparently, my little hanger-on from the fight above didn't like being trapped underground. Even though I hadn't seen it yet, I was having a hard time caring. I had my own problems.

I put both hands on the ground and *pushed*. Somehow, I managed to drag myself out and roll to one side just as there was a tremendous splintering noise from above me. What resembled a vaguely humanoid metal battering ram plummeted to the ground about an inch away from my head. Great. My large playmate from the room had decided to join me. On the bright side, I imagined that whatever been crawling on my leg was having a really bad day. A glint of metal from above followed by a blossoming pain in my shoulder assured me that the spindly machine I hadn't managed to cripple had also decided to keep on playing. I flexed my hand. I could still use the arm, just about, but with a length of metal near the joint, I wouldn't want to be fighting with it.

*The source of magic is over there,* the Sorceress said, and directed my attention towards a glinting metallic spider-like shape on the ground a little bit further down the wall. Huh. Maybe that was the thing that I'd knocked off the window during the fight in the room. I slammed my axe full force into it. It let off this howl as it died that ripped at my mind, but my shields held, just leaving some buzzing ringing in my ears. A quick glance behind me showed that my opponents weren't quite so lucky, but were recovering. Time to leave.

Concentrating, I ran around the corner of the inn, trying to walk between worlds only to march into what felt like a web and rebound. Apparently the buzzing wasn't just the remnants of the death scream.

*It's coming from the roof,* the Sorceress told me.

I tried to remember the plan of the inn. It wasn't that I didn't think I could free climb up to the roof easily enough. I just didn't feel like pinning a target to my back for those nasty knife throwers whilst I did so. I thought I remembered a porch around the front. That would make my life easier.

I continued to circle around the inn, peering cautiously around the corner. No one there yet, good. I glanced at the book. I was really regretting having to leave my backpack in my room.

Oh hell, no one was going to spot it under the walkway for a few minutes. I quickly stowed it there, then a quiet hop, skip and jump later and I was on the roof. There were two figures there, another mechanical spider and one of the spindly mechanical humanoids.

I threw a knife as hard as I could at the spider. The knife crunched into its carapace and it screamed psychically. I was at least prepared for it this time, but my headache progressed from an ache to shooting pains and my vision took a moment to clear. Luckily, my other opponent seemed to have taken things worse and had pitched over onto the roof. It was just starting to twitch when the Assassin took the opportunity to plunge a dagger into its chest.

*Dead,* she said with a certain amount of satisfaction.

I was too busy staring at the symbol just underneath the dagger hilt. I'd seen that before. It had been on the dagger Broadway had been holding last time I had spoken to him. The dagger which he had pulled out of thin air and with which his alternate personality had almost skewered Siren. Crap.

Clanking and clicking below reminded me that we really weren't alone yet. I took a gamble and slung the body over my uninjured shoulder. I screamed a little as a limp arm almost tore out the shard of metal still lodged in the other one. I counted to five to distract myself before carrying on and tried to remind myself that I had been in worse pain and endured. Granted, I really didn't like to remember crawling back to a safe place with what I now suspect were a couple of broken ribs, dragging a dog carcass with me because I had been *so* hungry and it wouldn't have been be there when I came back. I shuddered and brought myself back to the current situation. Leaders often stayed near the back where they could react to events as they unfolded. I really hoped that this was the case here. I internally shrugged. It wasn't as though I had any better prospects for finding out more about the attack. I made my way back down to the front of the inn, retrieved the book and worldwalked. This time, nothing stopped me.

 

A few worlds later and I managed to find a secluded stack of trees to dump the contraption and take a proper look. Well, that was the intention, what I told myself I was going to do. I do have to admit spending a little time whimpering, front resting against a tree. It was probably time to try and take the shard out. This was going to hurt.

A gentle tug and a flash of pain confirmed by worst fears. The shard was barbed. I swallowed nervously. I had only really been a practice nurse, but I seemed to remember that the best way to handle this kind of thing was to push it through. Well, actually, the best way was to have it surgically removed by someone who knew what they were doing, but there was none of them around, and I couldn't go somewhere whilst I was like this, vulnerable. I couldn't. The good news was that I could push it through - it wasn't pointed towards bone. Well, then. Might as well get it done with.

I lay on the ground for a bit after that. I got the sense that the Assassin was keeping an eye out, just in case there was pursuit, but nothing showed. The Princess was just looking at me with horrified fascination. I was having problems caring. Right. Enough of that. I pushed myself up away from the dirt. The shirt around my shoulder was ripped and slowly turning crimson black. It was probably time to do something about that. I tore the arm of the shirt on my bad side. Heh. It already had a neat perforation. I then used my knife to slice it further into both a bandage and wadding. It was just as well that I was a very quick healer and not particularly susceptible to infections.

Once that was done, I looked once again at the machine, and listened. There was a faint hum of magic about it. I traced the main source to a collection of metal tokens it had. Each one had an angular symbol and had a slightly different sound.

What do you think?

*The magic sounds like one of those trump cards,* the Sorceress mused. *Not as powerful, though. I'm not sure it'd be enough for communication.*

Might be enough to track them, though. Broadway was always worried about being tracked through his trumps. Best leave them here. With the body. I didn't know how they found me, but carrying one of the assassins around just seemed to like asking for trouble. Searching the body, I found a thin piece of metal with holes punched in it and my picture. If there was any doubt that they were after me specifically, that removed it. They seemed to be completely nonmagical, so I took both of them. There was a metal cylinder with a hole on one end and a gear wheel on the other. I pushed the gear wheel around curiously. There was a sense of increasing tension, and then a metal shard shot out with some force. Huh. I discarded the cylinder next to the body. The assassin also had some short blades, but the grip was all wrong for me to use.

*It's time we got you properly attired,* the Assassin said.

I'm not sure that a slinky black dress and high heels are going to help me here.

*No. We need to get you a work outfit, with accompanying weaponry.*

Aren't the three knives I carry around normally enough for you?

*They're utility knives. Not specialised blades. You need some proper throwing knives and some fighting daggers.*

And my fire axe.

*If you must.* The Assassin disapproved on principle that my weapon of choice had other uses.

My mind flashed back to the metal juggernaut last night. I also needed something that might be able to damage that, or at least puncture its armour. A pickaxe maybe.

I stowed the assassin's body underneath the roots of a tree after prying the symbol off the front and left. I needed to talk to Broadway. To see if he knew about the attempt on my life. To see if we could do anything about it. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, but I definitely didn't trust that other thing inside his head.

 

I looked at the door. It was there, solid, threatening. I turned to leave.

*You are *not* leaving now we've managed to persuade you to get this far. I am *not* going through all this again.* The arguments had taken their toll on the Princess' humour.

Maybe I should sleep. I haven't since the attack. That was what? Half a day ago? And I didn't have a proper sleep then.

*You're going to have to better than that to convince us. You've tried that excuse twice already. And you were too wound up to even close your eyes either time.*

I didn't bother to argue. It wasn't as though I was really sleepy yet.

*Look, Keri, you need to face this. If it is Broadway or Merlin. You need to find out and sort the problem out. You can't keep running.*

She was right. Broadway had told me again and again that I left a bright trail behind me when I worldwalked. I couldn't hide. I couldn't hide anywhere. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the gang's suite. A few minutes later I heard some movement.

"Keri?" It was Clank's voice.

"Hi! Is Broadway in?"

"No, he left yesterday to go to the Facility." Great, just in time to set clockwork assassins after me. "Umm... you're looking a little different."

I looked down. Yeah, the Assassin had managed to persuade me into a work outfit. Hidden blades abounded. I still wasn't completely convinced that all the adjustments that she had demanded the tailor make had been purely functional -

*Oh, I'm sure they were *completely* necessary,* the Princess interjected in an amused tone.

But I guessed that it probably wasn't a bad thing that one of us had a dress sense and didn't mind using it.

"There's a story to that. Look, can I come in?"

Clank unlocked the door and held the door open for me. Sarah and Siren looked up as I entered. Sarah nodded to me. Siren merely raised an eyebrow.

Broadway not being here really threw a spanner in my plans. He might be at the Facility, he might not. In any case, if his alter ego had sent killers after me, he might well send them after them too. It wasn't as though he hadn't already tried to kill Siren already, his protests notwithstanding.

"Hi all. Last night a group of assassin tried to kill me." The others went pale. None of us were exactly used to people trying to kill us. Well, not going out their way to kill me, in my case. I attempted some humour. "Shocking, I know." I didn't think it worked. For them or for me. "They all seemed to be made out of clockwork, and had this symbol on their chests." I showed them the insignia. There was a collective gasp.

"Do you-" Sarah asked.

"He wouldn't - " Siren said.

Clank just stood there silently, an unreadable expression on his face.

*Something's up with the gentle giant,* the Princess said.

An attempt on my life? Broadway being behind it?

*I... don't think so. Prod him about it. I want to see his reaction.*

Fair enough.

"Clarence? Do you know anything?"

He jumped.

*Bingo.*

Thanks. I got that.

I kept looking at him. He glanced away. "It's not important." Sarah shot him a glance. He was going to hear about this later.

"What is it?"

"Look... look I'll talk to you later. We have things to do."

I let it pass, for now. "We need to get out of here. All of us."

"Do we have to?" Siren complained. "I like it here."

"Do you want assassins turning up here? They almost got me." I found myself rubbing my shoulder and let my arm drop. Looking at their faces, I didn't think that I needed to add that I had aced personal and tactical combat back at the Facility, despite my hang-ups, and none of them had even come close. Even Clank, strong as he was, had been only an average member of Trelawney's class.

"Let's go, then," Clank decided. There wasn't dissent from the others, though Siren looked distinctly sullen.

"I'll lead you to somewhere else. As safe as I can make it. We leave in five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Siren wailed. "How am I going to be able to pack in five minutes?"

"Four minutes fifty seconds," I corrected.

She glared at me, then disappeared off to her room.

 

"How many times are we going to visit this damned market?" Siren asked, gesturing at the bright colours of the crowded square.

"As many times as I think fit," I answered, snappishly. "Broadway can track me. We know he can. Goddess, he complains enough that I leave a bright trail. Since I can't lose him, I'm hoping to slow him down by creating a maze for him to follow. Try and make him look around each world we travel just in case that's where we ended up." It's all we've got.

"Come on, Siren," Sarah said, holding her hand. "Look on the bright side. You can get another piece of jewellery whilst we're here."

Siren subsided, allowing herself to be bribed. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't enough that she had managed to fill her own bags; she'd been handing stuff off to the other members of the group. Clank now looked like the monster from the Bag Lagoon. She'd managed to hand off a few bags to me 'just for a moment' before I'd gotten wise and started glowering at her every time she approached.

*She's just worried about Broadway,* the Princess said. *Can you blame her?* Now that she had gotten her way, she was in a much better mood.

And this is, what, retail therapy?

*It could be worse.*

I'm about ready to torch the next tailor's we visit.

*It sounds like you could do with a little therapy yourself.*

Look, I'm fine. Just because someone is trying to kill me...

*Someone who might be your second best friend,* the Princess noted.

Well, whatever, just because my second best friend, or some demented portion of his psyche, might be trying to kill me, why wouldn't I be okay?

*Keri, I don't think you're convincing anyone in here.*

It's not precisely the time to think about all this. We have friends to protect and homicidal robots in tow. Let's deal with that first.

The Princess threw up her hands. *Whatever. I'm just trying to help.*

I ignored her. Siren had finished at her latest shop, and Clank had been decorated with another bag. It was time to move on.

 

"What is this place?" Siren asked, looking at the cold grey walls with displeasure.

"Secure," I answered shortly.

"Are the rest of you just going to let her get away with this?" Siren appealed to the others. "She could have found us anywhere, and she lands us with this dump."

Clank and Sarah refused to meet either of our eyes. Probably just as well.

"Exactly. I'm hoping that this dump, as you put it, will be the last place Broadway will look for you. The good places will be the first that they look. And this place is defensible. Clank," I looked over in his direction, "Can you work on making it more so?"

"Sure." He scrambled to his feet, eager to get away from the war zone. "I'll be... right out here." He disappeared out the door. Sarah looked after him as if she wished that she were going with him.

"This is ridiculous!" Siren said. "Broadway would never hurt us." I just looked at her. She faltered, and said more quietly, "He wouldn't." All of a sudden her bravado left her, and she was left looking small and scared.

*Broadway seriously needs get his relationship with Siren sorted out.*

Apparently being psychically and physically assaulted could leave marks on a relationship. Who knew?

"He wouldn't, but his alter personality might," I attempted some degree of comfort.

*Or it might be someone else completely.*

I repeated the Princess's words with hopefully more conviction.

Siren looked as though I had just thrown her a lifeline. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Who knows. But I do know that Broadway would want you safe, so I'm going to do my best to assure that. Which reminds me. I'm going to check on Clank's preparations, and make some suggestions." Not to mention trying to pry out of him what it was that he was hiding.

I waved and left. As I headed out, Sarah scooted over to give Siren a hug.

*She'd really have to try to be any worse at providing comfort.*

Thanks. Comfort isn't really my thing.

*I'd noticed.*

 

Clank was fiddling with some cameras he'd managed to cook up in the last few minutes.

"How's it going?" I asked.

He jumped and started to twist around with a wrench in hand. I jumped back out of reach.

He relaxed as soon as he saw it was me. "Don't creep up on me like that. Especially now."

Maybe I did tend to move too quietly. I held out my hands. "Sorry. Just coming to see you."

He turned back away from me, and continued working on the cameras. "I'm still preparing the cameras necessary to keep an eye on approaches."

"I'll give you a few hints on that. But that's not why I'm here."

His shoulders tensed. "Why are you here, then?"

"You said you'd talk later. So let's talk."

He slumped. "Fine," he ground out. "What do you want to know?"

"What you know."

He closed his eyes. "It's nothing, really. Nothing."

I was about to prod him again when the Princess said *Hush. Let him talk.*

"It was a few years before I went to the Facility," he continued after a moment. "A clockwork man with that symbol on his chest grabbed me, examined me, with magic I think, let me go. Went on its way."

That seemed odd. "It didn't do anything to you? Didn't alter you in any way."

"No, it didn't do anything to me. It hurt a few guards on the way in. Nothing serious, though."

That didn't make sense. There must be more to it than that. Maybe if I asked him some more questions, I could find out what it was.

*Keri, leave it,* the Princess advised in a quiet voice.

But this could be important.

*I don't think so. Not this important. Maybe later.* She paused a second. *Remember to call him Clarence.*

I obeyed. "Thanks, Clarence. Anyway, onto the defences. Have you thought about putting something there?" I pointed to a hidden niche.

Clank relaxed. "Good idea. Camera or trap?"

"Trap, I'd say. Got any good ones?"

 

A bird flapped onto my table as I was drinking yet more water. I recognised it. It was the bird of desire I had sent to give Broadway a message when he returned to his base of operations and then return to me. I wrote a quick message on a piece of paper, got up, left money on the table and walked down the street a bit, singing Pattern in my mind until I found a new bird. I tied the message to the bird, and walked worlds.

Behind me, the bird flapped its way towards the gang.

'Broadway's arrived back at your base. Hopefully, he's going to meet up with me so we can talk, but best be on alert. Just in case. Luck.  
Keri.'

 

I looked at the coffee in front of me, then glanced again around me at the cafe. This was the world the class had stayed at after leaving my homeworld. We had come here after the epic shopping trip. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to enjoy a nice hot soak. I shook myself. Fatigue had started to hit. It had been a day, a day and a half since I'd last slept. I'd go probably just go to sleep. Where was Broadway? It can't have taken that long for him to get here.

*I told you we should be overlooking this place. We're far too vulnerable here,* the Assassin complained.

We need to be here. I trust Broadway. Being here is a sign of trust.

The Assassin threw a dagger, splitting a mechanical bug on the wall of the cafe in two. I recognised it. Broadway's work. *He doesn't trust you.*

Obviously, he was just scouting the place out. Making sure it was safe.

*Then he'll be here in a minute,* the Assassin replied.

I waited, tensely. He was going be here, right? I felt hyperalert, ready to flinch at any movement. In a crowded cafe I was flinching a lot.

*Minute's up. Are we going to wait around for the assassins?*

Fine. I got up. If Broadway wouldn't come to me, I'd find him.

I didn't see him as I exited the cafe. I ducked into an alleyway to break line of sight, and get to some higher ground. Just then I heard a pulse of Logrus that I recognised. Broadway, apparently, had left the building. I hurried over to where I had heard the Logrus from. He'd obscured his trail. There was no way I was following him. Crap. This really wasn't good. Time for another message to the gang.

 

'Broadway sent a bug in to spy on me, then left without saying anything. He might be coming after you now. Sorry. I'll try and lose any tail then head back.' I signed it and attached it to the bird, and sighed as it left. I certainly hoped it was still Broadway that was doing all this.

 

The marketplace again. After this, I think I could go for some time avoiding anything resembling here. That being said, there were so many of my tracks here that I hoped I could lose my more recent tracks here.

*Anyone following you, either now or from the gang's base, pretty much has to pass through here,* the Assassin said thoughtfully.

Point. Multiple times, even, unless they were very good or very lucky. I guess it was probably worth waiting around and seeing if anyone turned up. I slunk into the shadows to wait.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, I saw Broadway making his way through the market. I couldn't see any followers, which was good. They could be waiting out of sight, I guessed. Mechanical creatures would stand out more than a little out in the open here.

*Let me get close,* the Assassin said.

Be my guest.

She slipped through the crowd, using bodies as cover, never walking jerkily to attract Broadway's attention, always having someone interposed between us whenever Broadway glanced in our direction. He didn't have a clue as we moved up behind him.

"Time to have that talk, Broadway," I said when I was a few feet behind him. Within arm's reach.

He span around.

*He's going for a weapon,* the Assassin hissed. She tried to jerk my hand in a motion to strike his wrist, knock it away. Maybe break his arm.

I stopped it with an effort. He hasn't drawn it yet.

*He's on a hair trigger.*

If he does, I'll stop him. He's not in my league.

*Merlin could be better. A lot better.*

Until he draws, he's still my friend.

I could feel the Assassin's discontent, but she subsided.

"Keri." I could see the wariness in his eyes. "What do you want?"

I showed him the symbol. "Yesterday, clockwork creatures bearing this attacked me, tried to kill me."

His eyes were fixed on the object in my hand. "What? *This* symbol."

I nodded.

"That's impossible. I've been blocking those memories ever since..." he made a vague gesture with one hand.

"Yesterday. Whilst you were at the Facility." Allegedly.

He shook his head. "No, no, no. That's impossible. I've been awake the entire time. It couldn't have been me."

"Well, maybe it's something that you set in motion before the trip. I don't know."

"I've set cameras in the workroom. I'd know if I made any clockwork creatures. Look, this isn't me." He seemed utterly convinced.

I wasn't so sure. If nothing else, what he could make, he could presumably get around.

*Is there any point to continuing with this?" the Princess asked. "He's obviously convinced that he had nothing to do with this. Just like he's convinced himself that his alter personality would never have killed Siren. Just this symbol plus some speculation isn't going to open a crack in that. If you do still trust him, let's get on with finding out as much as we can about this attack. Who knows? It could have been someone else.*

Fine. "Anyway, we need to find out what we can about the attack."

He waved that aside. "What did you do with the others? Did you force them to go with you?" His voice was suddenly filled with suppressed anger.

I had to laugh. "Of course not. They're fine. What did you think I did, knock them over the head and drag them with me?"

His face reflected relief at my words. I was suddenly angry at him, Broadway. Who the hell did he think I was? Because I was totally known for using violence on my friends.

"You've put them in danger. You might have led these creatures right to them."

"They might have been on their way there already. I didn't and don't know. You weren't there, so I took the best course I could." Not to mention you might still be part of the problem.

Broadway subsided, but clearly still wasn't happy. "Do you have any of those clockwork creatures to hand?"

I suppressed my temper. With an effort. "I stowed the body of one on a different world. I don't know if it's been recovered or not. I don't know if they could trace it."

"Show me."

"Just a moment." I needed to send a message off to the gang, letting them know we'd met up, and that we were both still alive.

After sending the messenger bird on its way, I led the way, worldwalking. Neither of us talked. The silence was uncomfortable.

 

The body under the tree was undisturbed. I dragged it out for Broadway to take a look at.

"What do you think?" I asked.

Broadway bent over the body. He first of all looked at the collection of disks, fingering through them one by one. Flash. The coin he was handling was now the card of Death, myself with two knives. Another flash, and it was just a coin again. Broadway didn't seem to notice anything different. Another coin, and there was a flash, the coin was the Hanged Woman, with myself suspended upside down. Another flash, and it was a coin again. Yet another coin, another flash and it was the Tower, with myself falling from the parapets. I waited gingerly, but the flashes seemed to be over. Broadway said nothing during all of this. I guessed whatever it was, it wasn't magic.

We're not taking those coins.

The Sorceress forbore to comment.

"Huh. Some kind of Trump magic," Broadway said. "Not cards, though."

Well, that was certainly useful.

Broadway turned his active Logrus senses towards the body.

"It kind of looks like something Merlin might make, but inside... I can understand some of it, but some of it just doesn't make sense. It's messy, redundant, inefficient. It's got an aura. I don't recognise it." There might have been relief that it wasn't Merlin's. It could also have been recrimination. "Maybe it's from a person remote controlling it." He wrinkled his brow. "I'm not sure, though. It seems to be intrinsic."

"Maybe it's a living construct. That signature could have been its own."

"Maybe." He sounded dubious, but didn't come up with an alternate explanation. "Do you want to have a look?"

"I guess." I suppose it was worth a shot. I hummed, sending out waves of power, and listened.

I heard the symphony of the signature. Just like I remembered.

**Just* like you remembered,* repeated the Sorceress.

That's right. It should have faded by now, at least a bit. Unless...

"It's still alive," I breathed.

"What?" Broadway asked, looking confused.

*What?* the Assassin asked.

"The construct. It's still alive."

Broadway pushed me aside and started examining the body again.

*It can't be,* the Assassin panicked. The first I had ever seen her exhibit that emotion. "The dagger went too deep. It couldn't have survived that. That was a fatal blow. I *know*.*

It's a machine. Presumably it has vital areas in different places.

*How can we tell? There must be a way to know how to kill these things.*

I shrugged. After *them*, the demons as Brand called them, I was used to things I didn't know how to kill.

*I'll handle this,* the Princess said. *She'll be fine. Keep an eye on what Broadway's doing.*

Broadway was still pottering. "I see. That's what those reservoirs of energy were. Slight. Fading. We need to get it to a proper workshop as soon as we can, so I can try and stabilise it."

"Do you think it can come back to life?" I didn't fancy the idea of it suddenly animating and shoving a blade into me.

"I don't think so," he said slowly. "The energy reserves don't look sufficient to reactivate it. We need speed."

"I can do speed." I picked the body up gingerly, and walked.

 

"This world should do," Broadway said after looking around.

At last. He'd rejected the last half dozen as unsuitable. Ah, what did I know? This was his speciality.

I put the body down and used Pattern to find some money. "You look after this. I'll go hire a workshop."

It didn't take long. I asked around, and hired someone to use the local phone equivalent to ring around and find somewhere that was willing to let us a sophisticated workshop right now for an exorbitant fee. The man gave me an odd look when I made the request, but enough notes convinced him that I may be mad, but I could pay.

"What do you think?" I asked Broadway as I opened the door.

"Adequate, I guess. I'll need to make some improvements."

He got to work, and I draped the clockwork over the worktable. I then relaxed. This could take some time.

*Didn't you grab some other things off the clockwork?* the Princess prompted.

I blinked. I had completely forgotten about the sheet of metal. I rummaged inside my backpack for it.

"Hey, Broadway!" I called.

He looked up. "Yes?"

I waved it at him. "Does this mean anything to you?"

He looked at it "Not off hand. I'd guess it's some kind of instruction. I'll see if I can figure it out from looking at him."

The wonders of technomagic.

Broadway happily pottered first with the lab, then with the clockwork for a few hours. Finally he turned to me. "I've managed to stabilise it. I think I managed to figure out what the punch sheet said. It was a set of instructions to capture you and bring you back."

I thought back to the fight. "They didn't seem to be trying too hard to bring me in alive."

"Well, it reads more like a soldier's instructions than a program. Maybe it got creative. Do you think we should wake it up to ask it questions?"

"Couldn't you just," I waved a hand in the air, "Use your technomagic to interface with it and read its mind that way?"

He blinked. "I suppose I might be able to. But I'll need to rest first. I don't want to go into its mind on anything less than my best." Great. Being in the lab with someone who might turn into a homicidal maniac at any moment sounded just wonderful. I resigned myself to spending several hours watching for both intruders and movement from Broadway.

 

"That you, Broadway?" I had a knife in hand as soon as he roused.

"Who did you think it was?" he asked grumpily. He got up and disappeared into the bathroom to wash and get dressed. He emerged a few minutes later, looking a little brighter. "I don't suppose you got anything to eat."

"I've been sat here keeping watch for the last six hours. No, I have not had time to get something to eat."

*Temper, temper.*

Oh, piss off. It's not as though I had managed to get much sleep recently. Being under constant stress for the last few hours hadn't helped my mood any.

"Can you get something for breakfast whilst I peer into this machine's mind?" He turned away before I could respond. I fumed for a few seconds, before leaving the building for something resembling food.

It was night time outside. Great. Just great.

The only places that still seemed to be open were some pubs. I entered the first one I came across. It was loud and rowdy. It set my teeth on edge.

As I pushed through the crowd, a large man barged into me, and bounced off as I grounded myself. He blinked, looking a little surprised. Then his gaze wandered downwards. and a drunken smile crept over his face.

"You've got a nice pair, ain't you?" he said and reached his empty hand towards said part of my anatomy.

I blocked his hand effortlessly with one arm, and, on instinct, hit him with the other in the pit of his stomach. He folded, choking.

I marched straight past him to the bar. The man behind it looked at me.

"A bit young to be in here, ain't you love?"

"Food. I need food," I ground out.

His gaze focussed behind me. Probably on the idiot on the floor. He then looked at me, seeming to gauge my mood. "Right you are. Our kitchen's closed, though, sorry."

I looked at him.

He flinched a little. "We have some crisps and peanuts, though. That do you?"

"That'll be fine." I placed a note on the bar. "That should cover you."

He did a doubletake at the currency, then reached behind the bar to grab a box of crisps and a box of peanuts. "Here you are, then, love. See you around."

I turned and left. Some of the large man's friends had evidently found him and were ineptly trying to help. Idiots.

I got outside and had just about made it out of the beer garden when I couldn't hold on any longer and burst into tears. Why did everything have to go to shit?

I stayed there for about five minutes, crying. The only thing that kept me upright was my sisters' presences, comforting. Well, mainly the Princess with some help from the Sorceress. The Assassin mainly seemed bewildered. When I stopped, I was numb.

I peeked back inside. The large man had disappeared. A smear of vomit indicated he'd probably headed off to the toilets. I headed the bar again. The barman watched me cautiously.

"Yes, love?"

"That man I hit," I handed over another note. "Put that on his tab."

He looked utterly confused. "Will do, my love. Do you want me to tell him who it's from?"

I shook my head slightly. "Don't bother."

I left again and picked up the boxes. Time to head back to the lab.

Broadway was awaiting me impatiently. "What have you got?"

"What the locals had," I said colourlessly and handed over the boxes.

If Broadway noticed anything wrong with me, he didn't say it. "What are these?" he complained

"Food."

"Very well. But I'm going to need some better food when we leave here." He tucked in. "I looked inside the clockwork's head. It just seems to stuck on his last thoughts. Must complete the mission. Stuff like that. I think I'm going to have to wake it up to read its memory."

*Secure it,* the Assassin demanded.

I felt too tired to fight her. How?

*Drive some spikes into its joints. It has gears there. That should stop even a machine.*

I got to my feet and grabbed some nails.

"Keri, what are you doing?" Broadway asked.

"Making sure it doesn't move."

"Fine, Keri. Whatever makes you happy." He mucked around with its innards a little more. "There. That should do it."

The clockwork twitched and I heard gears engage. "Must complete the mission."

"I don't think that that is going to happen," I said.

It twisted its neck towards me. "I must kill the murderer of the Maker." It strained and gears ground against metal, but my spikes held.

"This is the Maker's sign?" Broadway asked it.

It turned its head towards him briefly "Yes." It then turned back towards me and strained as if will alone could kill me. I thought that I probably should be unnerved. It seemed a true fanatic

"She didn't murder the Maker."

"She did!" It replied without looking at him. "The Loas told us. I cast the gears again, and again. The Maker died and she killed him."

"The Maker asked her to kill him."

"What? Why would he do that? You lie." The clockwork seemed to focus on Broadway for the first time. "You're in it with her. You helped kill the Maker!" it accused.

Broadway laughed. "No. I am the Maker."

It tilted it's head to one side. "You don't look like him. And the Maker died. We were told."

Broadway looked distant for a second, like he was remembering something. Like he was accessing the Merlin memories. Logic told me that he might try to kill me, but logic wasn't enough to rouse me just then. His gaze snapped back into focus and he looked back at the clockwork. Apparently he wasn't going to try to kill me today. Yay.

He took the symbol and quickly wired it back onto the clockwork's chest, and touched it. There was the discordant sound of power from Broadway, and the clockwork went limp for a second before animating again. "Maker? Maker! We were told that you were dead. Forgive me for my lack of faith."

Broadway blinked. "Uh... I guess you are forgiven. Tell me about your mission."

"We were told to capture her," he looked in my direction briefly before looking back at Broadway, "and bring her back."

"But you tried to kill her?"

"I'm sorry, Maker. I thought that she had killed you and that she didn't deserve to exist in a universe without you."

"I wonder if that was the intention of whomever gave the orders," Broadway mused. "Do you know who was behind the orders?"

"Captain Quickthought gave me my orders. I don't know who gave them to him. It wasn't my place to ask."

"What's your name?"

"Steelmind." It almost beamed with pride.

"How did you get to that world?"

"We reported to a worldwalker. A foreigner. I don't know who they were."

"What would the rest of your team done?"

"We were told that the worldwalker would return to transport us back when we sent a particular signal. They would have used that."

Broadway looked at me. "Any other questions?"

I thought. It took a moment, but I was slowly feeling better after having cried myself out. "Do your people have anyone who can work with memories?" It was our most pressing problem, and seemed worth a shot. Who better to trust?

"Yes," Steelmind nodded. "We have memory surgeons."

Broadway looked at me. "Good idea."

"Maker?" Steelmind asked a plaintive note entering its voice. "Could you release me?"

Broadway looked him over. “You’re going to need some repairs, too.”

“Repaired by the Maker?” Steelmind seemed on the verge of religious ecstasy.

Broadway removed the nails and got to work. “When we go back, you can’t let anyone know that I’m the Maker.”

“But… but then everyone will still think that you’re dead.”

“That’s kind of the point. It’d be dangerous if some people found out that I’m alive at the moment.”

Steelmind paused. “If you say so, Maker.”

“Do you think you can guide us back to your world?”

“Sorry, Maker, I am not a worldwalker. I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

I spoke up for the first time in a while. “I’ve had some success at tracing worlds from the harmonics of an inhabitant.”

“Your world is near Unification?” Broadway asked Steelmind, who nodded. He looked back at me. “It’d probably be best if you didn’t worldwalk yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah, blazing trails of Pattern. I’ll point, you lead.”

“Glad to have our roles sorted out.”

 

Steelmind’s world was a clanking, hissing nightmare from my view out the window. Naturally, Broadway seemed utterly relaxed as soon as we entered. Bastard. Unfortunately, general fatigue was marshalling his troops and taking his toll, so I felt unable to muster any actual venom. It had been well over two days since I had slept, which normally wasn’t that big a problem. Normally. You could only maintain nervous energy for so long. Hours of Logrus travel didn’t help. My stomach was only just settling and none of the local food looked at all appetizing.

Broadway, once he’d located the place with my help, had managed to walk us into Steelmind’s abode. It was small and fairly cramped, filled with odds and ends, various grades of oil and a small furnace on one side. Positively homey. Broadway better appreciate how much I trusted him by doing this. The fact that I was surrounded by beings who would just love to kill me at a word from him wasn’t lost on me. I suppressed a whimper as I thought once again that I'd walked into the lions' den.

“Do you know a memory worker?” Broadway asked.

Steelmind nodded. “Yes, Maker. I share a few cogs with one.”

If we were going to do this, we'd need to do it right. I wasn't coming back here again. "Where would we find the best memory worker?"

Steelmind sat there clicking for a while. "The best ones that I know of are the memory surgeons at the Memory Palace off Fifth Square. They're very busy, though."

I used Pattern to find a bag of the local currency. "I guess we'll just have to be very convincing then."

 

I marched at the head of our little group into the reception area of the Memory Palace. If I'd been more of a mood to take in the sights, I might have found it impressive. As it was, I was just focussing on my target, the receptionist. Leading the group personally had been the Princess' idea. If people focussed on me as the leader, they were less likely to remember Broadway.

*Now, what you need to do here is-*

I cut the Princess off. "I need to speak to your chief administrator. I have an extremely important matter to attend to."

"I'm sorry. I can book an appointment with one of our consultants, though..."

I placed a handful of the gear-like coinage onto the desk. "I need this handled quickly."

*Crude, but effective,* the Princess said. *I'd have handled it better.*

It worked.

"I see," the receptionist said, eyes glued to the coins. "I'll see what I can do. Please, wait over there." It pointed to some uncomfortable looking chairs. "I'll book you in for the earliest vacancy I can. It shouldn't be more than a couple of hours."

A couple more hours.

 

"Is she going to stop pacing?" Steelmind asked Broadway cautiously. Broadway shrugged.

I ignored them. I had to keep moving, keep awake, keep alert. I was in the enemy's maw and there were clockworks all around me.

There was a clitter clatter of metal on metal from behind me. I spun around. It was the receptionist. "The Chief Surgeon will see you now.," it said. "Take the fifth door on the right."

At last. I hoped that the Chief Surgeon was the person we needed to see, the most skilled memory worker here. I opened the requisite door and entered and almost screamed.

The clockwork inside the room wasn't humanoid in the slightest. It resembled nothing so much as a six foot clockwork ball with... appendages. The end of said appendages took on a nightmarish air in my tired mind. Saws, drills, clamps, sharp glittering knives of all sizes. They waved in the air like grass in a nonexistent breeze. I found it impossible to take my eyes off them.

"Good afternoon." The clockwork's voice was an incongrouously pleasant baritone. "How can I help you?"

I couldn't answer. I was hypnotised by the glittering array.

I was dimly aware that Broadway stepped up to the plate. Explaining what he needed done. I think the surgeon seemed agreeable. But it was hard to tell.

*Keri,* the Princess whispered.

*Keri.*

*Keri.*

The words slowly filtered down to my consciousness. Yes?

*It's time to leave now, Keri.*

I blinked and realised that Broadway and Steelmind were looking at me. Broadway was clutching a machine and seemed generally pleased. I guessed it had gone well, then. He raised his eyebrows and looked meaningfully towards the door.

I pushed myself into motion. "All done?"

He gave me an odd look. "An initial pass only. I need to come back in a week. Whenever that is in our home time."

"This place is about 1.2 times faster than the Facility," I said without thinking. I didn't know how I knew the time rates of worlds. I just did. I tried to remember what the time rate at Broadway's base was. "I think you might be a little faster. I can't remember at the moment. Tell you when we get there."

Steelmind looked nervously around. "What do you want me to do now, M- Broadway? If I stay here, there are going to be questions about how I managed to get back here."

*And dear Steelmind is not one of nature's liars.*

Broadway seemed to have come to the same conclusion. "We'll have to take you away from here."

Steelmind looked a little panicked. "What should I do away from my people? How will I survive without any fresh cogs?"

"You could always be Broadway's bodyguard," I muttered. "Goddess knows he needs one."

Broadway shot me a look.

"That's it!" Steelmind proclaimed. "I'll protect the M-, um, Broadway." It looked around to see if any of the passing clockworks had noticed it's slip. None of them looked in this direction.

Broadway sighed and nodded his head. "Let's get out of here." He shot me a look. "And you can take me to the others."

Fine.

 

The door seemed faintly blurry in front of me. It had been over three days since I'd gotten any sleep, since the attack. Broadway and Steelmind were behind me. I knocked on the door.

"Keri?" asked Sarah's quiet voice from the other side.

"Guilty."

"Is everything alright?"

No. It's not. There are still assassins after me. But it's as good as it's going to get. "Yes. Everyone's big happy family now."

"There's a machine there, like you described."

I guessed I couldn't blame her for being nervous. I was still a little uneasy. "It's Broadway's bodyguard now. Got the symbol and everything."

"Okay." She unlocked the door and let us in. "Why didn't you send us a message? Siren has been really worried about you."

"Where is she?" Broadway asked.

I heard a pitter patter of feet. "Did I hear Broadway?" Siren called. She raced into the room and into his arms. They were busy hugging when Clank came into the room and recoiled at the sight of Steelmind. Sarah went over to him and led him back out into another room. Probably just as well.

Finally Broadway and Siren stopped tickling each others tonsils, and Broadway sat down and waved me to a seat. I smiled, shook my head and remained standing. I didn't want to take the risk.

"I never did say what I'd been doing at the Facility."

We had talked about this last time I had visited. Oh! I remembered. "You went to talk to Mandor about your memories." I paused a second. "Are you going to tell him that you've managed to sort it yourself?"

"I thought I'd tell him in a week or so. That's when the Keeper is due." Oh. That seemed a little off. But he probably had his reasons. But Broadway was continuing. "I also talked to Janek again."

"Janek?" I should know that name.

"Corwin's dead son. He said that there are servants of the Enemy everywhere. In Amber, Unification even in the Facility. As well as out in shadow. He stumbled across one of their rituals at the Facility. That's why he thinks that he was killed."

Great. One more thing to worry about.

"I think they're causing the war between Amber and Unification. It would make things easier for them."

"I guess I can see that."

"He also mentioned a green glowing tower in connection with the Well of Souls. Maybe the Enemy are trying to corrupt the Well of Souls?"

But that was *them*. Demons. "I've heard that the things on my world aren't actually connected to the Enemy. That they're different things."

Broadway looked confused. "I thought that they were."

I shrugged. "Apparently the things on my world are internal to the universe, and the Enemy aren't. Sorry, I'm not too sure on the details."

"Huh." I could already see Broadway chewing that over.

"Anyway," I lumbered into motion. "I need to be on my way. Where will you be?"

"My plans so far are going back to our base." Siren snuggled up to him contentedly. "Siren likes it there."

"Keep safe."

"You too."

I hoped I'd be able to. But I needed to keep moving. Keep ahead of the hunters. I couldn't rest yet.

 

I wasn't too sure how many hours, how many days it had been since the attack, since I had slept. Was I sixteen, or was I twelve? I had problems remembering. I'd managed to find somewhere dark, with thick walls. Not safe. Never safe. But as secure as I could find. The beasts were out there, sniffing for me. Tracking me down. Waiting for me to lower my guard so they could eat me. But I had to sleep. I had to sleep.

I had to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

I opened my eyes cautiously. Apparently I had survived the night. Or however long I had spent asleep. I looked around my impromptu bolthole. Dim light filtered in from somewhere, illuminating a dingy ruin. Goddess, this place was a dump. Back to my old habits indeed. But at least I was still alive. Still hunted, though.

*Are you ready to listen to some sense?* The Princess was apparently feeling testy this morning.

What about?

*You were really freaked out yesterday. Yesterdays.*

Really? I can't imagine why. The thing riding inside the head of one of my best friends is probably trying to kill me. There are definitely assassins stalking the worlds looking for me. And I can't even run properly.

*Yes, well. Running yourself ragged isn't going to help things.*

*You were dead to the world,* the Assassin observed. *If anyone had come along whilst you were collapsed, you'd have just been dead.*

I suppressed a shudder. Thanks for that.

*There are countermeasures we can take whilst we travel. Nothing perfect, but then nothing is,* the Sorceress said.

Yay. More paranoia.

*Speaking of which,* the Princess said, *It *is* entirely possible that Merlin isn't behind the attack on you. It isn't as though there aren't plenty of others who would like to see the war between Amber and Unification heat up again. And that's discounting personal revenge. Juliet did kill Merlin, after all, and apparently Llewella isn't the only person who has connected her to you.*

Who? Do you think it's Mandor?

*It's a possibility. Mandor also mentioned a mother, Dara. I'd suspect not the Emperor of Unification. He'd have his own troops to use. Though Merlin's would be eminently deniable.*

I don't think that'd matter to Amber.

*I got that impression too.*

I guess what you're saying makes sense. It's just...

*Trust me, I'm aware of your issues with possession.* A pause. *I must say, this is a lot easier than I was expecting.*

I'm a lot calmer now than I was yesterday. It was like one building nightmare. Which doesn't mean I'm better.

*Might I suggest a holiday before we start lessons again?*

Sure. I guess it's not like I'm not used to dodging things trying to kill me.

*That's the Keri I know and love. The eternal optimist.*

I hate you sometimes.

 

I dodged the boy barreling down the street towards me. This wasn't quite as easy as it sounded. For someone who looked about ten, he sure was moving at quite a clip and the street wasn't the widest. It was probably just as well that there was no one else in the street. I turned around, following him curiously with my gaze. He skidded to a halt near the junction behind me, looked desperately around and then disappeared into a clothes shop.

Footsteps clattered down the street behind me. A young woman who looked a little older than me was running down the street following the path of the boy. I couldn't help but notice that she had quite interesting bulges.

*She's armed. Concealed weapons. Probably knives. Well spotted,* the Assassin said.

*I'm not sure that those were the bulges Keri was noticing,* the Princess replied.

I blushed.

She skidded to a halt just in front of me. For one desperate moment, I thought that she had somehow heard the Princess' words. "Have you seen a young boy?" she asked. "He must have just come past here."

Simultaneously relieved and disappointed, I replied intelligently "Um..." My brain then kicked into gear. "Has he done something wrong?"

She barely seemed to notice me, casting her gaze back and forth. "No... I need to find him. To make sure that he's safe."

I guess that sounded innocuous. "I think he went in that shop."

She flashed me a quick smile of gratitude and ran into the indicated doorway. I followed a little behind, to make sure nothing bad happened to the kid.

*And not because it gives you an opportunity to look at her for a bit longer at all.*

What is it these days with you and attractive women? I'm not entirely sure that you have to point out each one to me. It's not as though I can't spot them myself.

*And how.*

I set my jaw stubbornly. Regardless of what the Princess wanted, I wasn't going to be rushed into anything. The fact that my body seemed to be having a little confusion about what *it* wanted only strengthened my resolve on this subject.

The sound of a boy's voice shouting dragged my attention back to the shop.

"I'm not going back and you can't make me!"

The discordant sound of Logrus filled the air. I blinked and looked inside the shop. The only people in there were the girl and what looked like the proprietor of the shop. The hell? If I was too young to have been initiated, what in the Goddess' name was a ten year old kid doing with it? The woman looked more resigned than surprised as she left the shop, so this wasn't a shock to her.

I listened to the fading echo. It definitely sounded like Broadway when he travelled, though not nearly as quiet. It also didn't leave this world. In fact, I thought, concentrating, it went *that* way.

*I take it this means that you won't be pursuing her.*

I think she might have other priorities. Besides, no one has tried to kill me yet and this doesn't feel like a trap. I want to know what's going on with the boy.

The city had the kind of windy streets that you only find in places that have grown organically rather than being planned. In other words, if I wanted to get somewhere quickly, it was time to travel by rooftop.

I reach the end of the Logrus trail a few minutes later. It was just across town. To my lack of surprise, the boy had moved on. It's what I would do. That being said, when people are trying to escape, they run. Even when there's no need to run. Even when it's the worst thing to do. The webheads' course back at the Facility had taught me that sometimes the best way to escape was not to run. Running in a crowded environment makes you visible, makes you easy to track where otherwise you might be invisible. I just hoped he hadn't had the same training.

I moved across the rooftops in a spiral pattern. A flash of movement caught my attention. A small figure dashed across the square. There he was.

He was fast, but I was faster. Moreover, I was moving across the rooftops. People don't tend to look up. So he was rather surprised when he ran around a corner and straight into me, bouncing off.

"Hi," I said, flashing a smile.

"Um..." he said, starting to go into rapid reverse.

"Stop!" I commanded. He skidded to a stop.

*Nicely done,* said the Princess.

You do know I copied that directly off you.

*A girl can't compliment herself?*

I rolled my eyes at her.

"What?" the boy asked sullenly.

Charming. "If I can find you this easily, the people looking for you aren't far behind." The boy looked downcast at my assessment. "I can help you escape, if you want."

He looked torn. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Sure. But you're going to have make up your mind quickly." They're on their way.

"Okay," he decided.

I rummaged inside my backpack for a coat. "Here. Wear this. It'll do until we can get you some better clothes. Now follow me." I turned and walked the way he'd been going. "Remember. Walk, don't run." He settled down to walk at my side.

Let's do this thing.

 

It still surprised me a little how a simple change of costume could make someone look so different. I had gotten clothes for both of us with the assassin's help, to try and blend in with the locals a bit better. Now we were both sat in the back room of the local pub equivalent, awaiting the meal we had just ordered.

"Who are you?" I asked. This hadn't seemed like a good conversation to have on the street. It had far too much potential to turn loud, and loud attracted attention.

He looked shifty."Uh... Hugh?" he offered up.

Oh please. "You're a really bad liar, you know that? What's your real name?"

He mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"I'm the Suhuy, alright!" He looked like he was about to burst into tears.

Why was that name familiar? Oh crap. Wasn't the Suhuy the name of the keeper of the Logrus? The one that kept on getting reincarnated. "Um... you do realise that I'm going to have to get you back to your people, right?"

He looked betrayed. "Why?"

How to put this? "I've got Pattern. If you're not found, and they find my traces in the area, it'll mean war." I felt the need to apologise "Sorry."

He looked crushed. "Really? I didn't... I didn't want to cause anything like that. I just needed to escape, to have some time just to myself, without all of that," he gestured in the air vaguely, "hanging all over me."

I smiled a little tentatively at him. "I said you have to go back. I didn't say that you had to go right now."

"Really?"

"Really. Let's make a day of it."

Just then the food arrived and Hugh proceeded to attack his with alacrity. As the elder person present, I felt I should set an example. So, naturally, I finished first.

Hugh looked at my empty plate with a certain amount of respect. "You're not like the people I know."

"I should hope not too."

"Hey, didn't you say that you were an Amberite?" His face warred between excitement and nervousness.

I shrugged. "Yes and no. I'm a Pattern initiate but I'm not sworn to Amber. It's complicated. Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you."

"That's alright. I trust you." He looked down at my plate again. "You eat fast. The priests always go on about how I should be grateful for the food I receive and meditate appropriately. To eat my food slowly." Hugh looked outraged.

I remembered being that age, and my mother chiding me for eating too quickly. I smiled wistfully. "It must be nice."

Hugh stuck his tongue out. "It's awful. They never let me go out, to do anything apart from concentrate on the responsibility. Become the next Suhuy in mind as well as spirit." He looked down at his mostly empty plate. "I just want to have some time to be me."

Okay, that was different. "That sounds awful."

"They keep pushing me to access the Suhuy's memories. They won't let me talk to anyone who isn't a priest, servant or guard." His voice went low. "They won't even give me a name."

"Hugh's a good name." I smiled at him. "Cheer up, at least you got to choose yours. It's a better deal than most of us get."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Bances won't let me keep it," Hugh sounded dejected.

"Bances?"

"He's the High Priest of the Serpent." I could hear the capitals. "He's always on about how I have a responsibility to regain the Suhuy's memories as quickly as I can, how only I can fix the Logrus, how I'm only being selfish by being me."

"Sounds like a charmer."

"Every time I get any snippet of memory, I'm suppose to meditate on it. Expand on it as much as I can."

"Sounds like a friend of mine. Only he actually *wants* to go through with it." The thought of memories forcing their way into my head, making me not me, always gave me chills.

"You have a friend who is among the Pure?"

Let's back away from the shaky theological ground. "I don't exactly know."

"He's a heretic?"

Oh, Broadway would not like this. "I wouldn't say that. I just don't know about Unification theology."

"I wish I could say the same."

One thing had been bugging me for a while now. "How come you're here? This world, I mean."

"They didn't know how much I can do with Logrus. Bances isn't keen on me learning. He says that I should just know. So I just snuck out and ran."

"But why here, particularly?" I refuse to believe us running into each other is just coincidence.

"You are the Conduit."

Gah! That was *not* Hugh there.

The moment passed and it was Hugh looking at me again.

"What happened? Was it them again?" He looked... something. Lost? Desperate? I wasn't sure. It made me want to hold him, tell him that everything was going to be alright.

*You are *far* too young to be feeling maternal.*

I am *not* being maternal! But, maybe, like if I had a younger brother. A freaky younger brother.

I smiled at him. "I prefer you to the Suhuy."

Hugh looked back a little disbelievingly. "Really?"

"Really."

"I think that's the first time someone's ever said that to me."

"That sucks."

He nodded, a little shyly.

"What do you want for dessert?"

He looked surprised, then excited. "Do they have ice cream here?"

I looked over the menu. "Yes..."

"Ice cream! Ice cream." He stopped for a second, then looked at me beseechingly. "Please?"

"Sure." I ordered ice cream.

This time, it was I who was left in the dust.

"Big fan of ice cream then?"

He nodded, then looked mournful. "Bances won't let me have it. He says I should only have plain foods, to concentrate the better on the Suhuy."

"Can't you..." I gestured vaguely in the air. "Just summon it?" Broadway hadn't been too specific on how he had gotten that flash dagger of his, but it seemed reasonable to speculate that Logrus was involved.

"I've never thought of that." Hugh stared into the air for a few seconds, his lips working as he puzzled through something. "Oh. Oh!" A clash of Logrus and a bowl of ice cream appeared in front of him, next to the empty one, and he grinned at me, then proceeded to tuck in.

I did hope that this didn't mean that I was shortly going to have to deal with a rather ill Keeper of the Logrus.

"Um... it might an idea to move soon. Just in case some of the people can track what you just did."

He looked up with ice cream smeared around his face. "Oh." He scrambled to his feet, then looked longingly back down at the bowl.

I grabbed the bowl and hid it under my coat. "Come on, you can eat it after we change location."

His gaze lit back up again. "Cool!" he enthused, and followed me out the back door. Luckily, no one seemed to be waiting for us. Good. They weren't getting smarter that quickly.

 

A quick costume change later and I had settled us in an inn room with a nice view. The sound of children playing drifted in through the window. I caught Hugh looking longingly out there.

"Do you want to go out there?"

"Maybe. But won't they find me if I do?"

"It's certainly a risk."

He looked outside one more time. "I think I'd prefer to stay here. I wouldn't know what to do."

"Don't you ever just play?"

"Bances doesn't think it's appropriate. One of my guards gave me some toys, even smuggled his kids in once. Then Bances found out. I never saw the guard again, and they got most of the things he'd given me."

"Most?"

"I still have a few hidden, but I can only play with them when I'm sure there's no one else around. It's not much fun."

"You should tell Bances to eat shit and die."

*You've been hanging around with the wrong people, Keri.*

Travel broadens your vocabulary.

*Uhuh.*

Hugh looked scandalised. "I can't tell him that."

"Of course you can." I was matter of fact. "You're the Suhuy. What's he going to do about it?"

*Oh, Keri. Whatever unfortunate use of words you've managed to pick up, you're still definitely you. Never change.*

"It's... it's not appropriate."

"Now you sound like Bances." I grinned at his expression, then sobered. "I hadn't heard there was a new Suhuy." I was fairly sure that Seraphina would have mentioned something like that.

"I think it's being kept secret." He looked moodily into the distance. "It isn't supposed to be this way. There's supposed to be time for preparation. The next vessel is supposed to be an adult. Not a child. Not like me. I can't even remember my life now, before Bances took me. It's just not there. I remember being homesick when I first arrived at the temple." His eyes looked shiny. "But not what I was homesick for. Do I have parents? Brothers? Sisters? Were they kind or cruel? I don't know." I hugged him, and he whispered into my shoulder. "Bances has taken it all away from me. He's taken me away from me. He just wants the Suhuy."

"Bastard pigeon fucker."

*Your vocabulary really has expanded.*

Hugh looked blank at my vulgarity, which was probably just as well. I get the feeling he'd be awfully shocked if he knew.

"I'm sorry, Hugh."

"It's alright. It's not as though it's your fault."

"How did the last Suhuy die?" Given various events, I suspected it was more than likely connected to the Enemy, as Broadway called them.

"I don't remember. Bances asks me about that a lot."

"So probably not an accident."

"No." His voice was small.

I wanted to tell him to be careful, that there were people in the Courts who'd want to kill him, but, really, what good would it do? I hugged him again. "Keep safe."

"I'll try. I'm glad we met."

"So am I." Which triggered the train of thought that the Suhuy had so neatly derailed before. "I'd still like to know why we met." I took a deep breath. "Would you let me talk to the Suhuy for a moment?" He looked a little panicked so I continued. "If he had a reason for us meeting, I'd kind of like to know it. Maybe you would too."

He sighed. "I guess." He closed his eyes and calmed his features. When he opened his eyes again, his entire body language had changed. Chills ran down my spine. Great. I had asked for this.

"What would you like to know?" His voice seemed hollow. Maybe that was just my imagination though. His voicce certainly sounded older, more mature.

"Why did you bring Hugh to see me?"

"It was necessary that he be here."

Great. More cryptic bullshit. "Necessary how?"

"He had to meet someone here. We did not know whom."

"You do realise that this could lead to war."

"If we had known what we were leading him to, we might have reconsidered."

"*What* you were leading him to?" Okay, my tone might not have been the most polite.

"The Conduit. We did not know that it was a child of Amber."

"The Conduit?"

"Yes." The Suhuy paused. "He needed a friend."

"There's nothing closer to home?"

"Bances does not understand. The boy needs time to develop, to become his own person before he assumes the memories."

"Then why don't you tell him that?"

"We do. He does not listen."

"That... sucks."

"Indeed. They have their reasons. They need to strengthen the Logrus."

"How's it going to help the Logrus if they kill Hugh?"

"Bances feels that it is worth the risk."

I noticed a small bead of red emerging from the Suhuy's nose. "Ah, goodbye."

The Suhuy blinked and then Hugh looked at me. "Did you get your answers?"

I looked sour. "Not exactly. Apparently we were supposed to meet, though he was fairly unforthcoming as to why. Apart from the fact that he thinks that you need friends."

He smiled at me and held my hand. "I like having friends."

I felt a protective surge. "And Bances should *definitely* eat shit and die."

"Keri!"

 

People poured in through the door. Armed, obviously trained, not in uniform. The Assassin tensed. Calm. I really hoped that these were the right people. I glanced at Hugh to see him relax resignedly. I raised an eyebrow at them. "Here at last I see," I drawled. I'd asked Hugh to use power about five minutes ago. He'd had just enough time to finish a couple more bowls of ice cream and start on a third before they'd arrived. If Logrus travel made him feel at all off, they'd be cleaning off the Keeper of the Logrus when they got back.

I wasn't precisely encouraged to see weapons being readied in my direction. I gripped the chair hard, ready to use it as a distraction if needed.

*There's the person in charge,* the Princess said, drawing my attention to an older man who had just entered the room. He moved fluidly, with a sense of suppressed violence.

"Time to go," he said to Hugh.

Hugh hugged me. "Thank you. It's been the best day of my life. That I can remember."

"Remember," I told him, "To tell Bances to eat shit and die."

Hugh laughed.

*Huh,* the Princess said. Apparently various of the guards were suffering from involuntary facial twitches. *Apparently our man Bances has his share of fans.*

What a charmer.

As Hugh joined the guards, the tension in the room dropped noticeably.

*Your crush is here,* the Princess noted.

The female guard was indeed there, keeping close to Hugh. But I didn't have a crush on her. I'd hardly even noticed her.

*Hah!*

Anyway, how likely was it that I'd be just able to strike up a conversation with a guard of the Church of the Serpent? Even if I wanted to. Which I didn't. Even if she was cute.

"Make sure he's fine, and everyone leave," the man in charge said.

That was easier that I had expected.

"Except you."

Curses.

"We need to talk... I don't believe we've been introduced."

Hugh waved as he was ushered out the room. I hoped that he'd be okay. The man looked at me enquiringly. I waited until everyone else had left.

"Well?"

"You're right. We haven't been introduced. Who are you?"

We looked at each other for a few beats. He blinked first. "Captain Pavel."

"Keri."

"Of Amber." He didn't make it a question.

"My political situation is a little complicated." He looked at me, consideringly, with cold eyes. "But no one wants a war." I desperately hoped he didn't.

"This needs to be kept a secret. Will you give your word that none of this goes any further?" The violence grew nearer to the surface. I didn't need the Princess to tell me what he was trying to tell me, trying to decide.

I took a breath, and led with the truth. "You don't know me. What's my word worth?"

"True." He paused. The feeling of imminent danger peaked... and then subsided. I relaxed internally and let the Assassin go. "I'd *appreciate* it if nothing of this came out."

"I wasn't particularly planning on telling anyone." Except Broadway. Maybe he could help, as Crown Prince anyway.

He nodded at the door. "Leave, then. You'll forgive me if I hope that we don't meet again."

I nodded in return, and worldwalked out of the room. I didn't think he had anyone waiting out there, but I didn't particularly want to put temptation in their way.

Keep safe, Hugh.


	22. Chapter 22

A babble of magic washed over me sounding like the whispers of a spectral riot. It was weak enough that I didn't even have to concentrate to keep it from affecting me. The Assassin drew a dagger underneath my table anyway. It originated from a slight hooded figure huddled over a bowl of food near the door. I didn't think that it had paid me any special attention since entering the inn, but you never could tell. In any case, it was probably time to get up, go to the bathroom and leave. It didn't feel like an imminent attack, but I was still getting nervous waiting for the other shoe to drop. I glanced down at my plate regretfully. I wasn't quite sure what the dish actually was, but it was *nice.*

A clatter of plates to one side drew my attention briefly. A waiter had dropped the dishes he was carrying over one of the customers. A meaty thud followed as said customer expressed his displeasure. A couple across the other side of the room started screaming at each other. I shrank back at the atmosphere in the room started descending into violence. The cloaked figure still hadn't moved, seemingly entranced by the food in front of it.

*You could just cancel out the effect. Things would calm down, and you could just go back to your meal,* the Princess suggested.

*Too dangerous,* the Assassin said. *There're more important things than your stomach.*

*My* stomach, surely. Still, this didn't feel like an attack aimed at me. And if I did disrupt the magic, it might stop people getting hurt. Another thud from the direction of the waiter. Well, more hurt. I concentrated and smoothed the sound out like the Sorceress had taught me.

The man kicking the waiter in the ribs stopped, looking puzzled. The couple let their shouts dwindle away. Peace slowly returned to the inn. I could feel the magic struggling feebly against my efforts still, though. Great. That was going to make enjoying my meal difficult.

I sighed, picked up my plate, wove my way through the clamoring confusion and plonked myself down on the table next to the figure. It became a little easier to smooth the power out. I tried to study the figure covertly. From this close I could hear muttering coming from beneath the hood. Sounded female. I wasn't too sure what she was saying as she was walking back and forth, but she had hardly touched the piled plate of food in front of her.

I half heartedly swallowed a few mouthfuls of food. Neither the magic nor the figure seemed exactly an imminent threat to me, but still...

*Look, either confront her or leave the inn and go,* the Princess said.

Hey, you were the one you wanted me to stay and enjoy the meal.

*That was before I had to sit through your mental growsing. I was enjoying the evening before your indecisive wittering.*

My indecisive wittering!

*It's quite putting me off my food.*

*Your* food?

*You seem to have quite the talent for repeating my words back to me. Maybe if I can train you a little better, you'll make an adequate conversationalist.*

I spluttered internally for a few seconds.

*Well, go on then. Make your decision.*

*You could just kill her and be done with it,* the Assassin offered.

Thank you, but no. Oddly enough, I wasn't feeling nervous any more. Pissed off at the Princess, sure. But not scared at the moment. So I'd stay. Talk to the girl. Maybe even stop a bloodbath from breaking out after I left. I ignored any sense of smugness that I felt from the Princess' direction.

I plopped down my plate on the table with a thunk in front of the figure. She jumped and turned to face me. This close I could see under the hood. She looked a little older than me, but not old. She also looked about as nervous as I had felt.

"Hi! My name is Keri," I said brightly. I was impressed by how cheery I managed to sound.

She looked at me, looking a little poleaxed.

"And your name is..." I prompted.

"Oh, um, Freya."

"Well, Freya, could you stop using your magic so I could finish my meal in peace?"

"What? That was you stopping this?" I nodded. "You know that she's using me?"

Ummm... what? She?

*Her magic does have the spectral overtones similar to that around Evelyn when Llewella was possessing her,* the Sorceress said thoughtfully.

You think that she is being possessed?

*No. Not exactly. Where have I heard something like this before?* A sensation like she was cocking her head. *Oh yes. It sounds like the power the assassin in Seraphina's quarters used, during the attack on the Facility.*

I thought back. It did seem similar, now that she mentioned it. How interesting.

Freya was still looking at me, waiting.

"I guess."

"The sorceresses refused to believe me! I tried to get help from the chapterhouse, but they just turned me away. They said that I didn't have any magic."

"Yes, well I'm from out of town. And you definitely have magic."

She almost collapsed in relief. "Finally someone who believes me."

“I’m guessing from this that your control of your magic isn’t the best.”

“It isn’t me. It’s the Goddess.” The Goddess? I hadn’t heard of her since I’d left my world. What was she doing here? “If I don’t placate her by fighting, she causes fights.” Okay, I was fairly sure that that wasn’t my Goddess. I mean, I may not have been my world’s greatest religious scholar – I was only twelve when the world ended – but I was fairly sure that she wasn’t a big advocate of mindless violence. She might have been more popular with some parts of my school if she had been.

“That was her, then?”

Freya nodded.

“I’m impressed you’ve survived as long as you have.” She didn’t seem that big and from what I could see, her face was unscarred, I was fully aware that my relatively untouched status was equally improbable, but then again I was something of a special case. And I ran away a lot.

“She does make me faster, stronger, harder to hurt.”

“It sounds like it’d be more useful if she didn’t get you into the fights in the first place.”

“I tried to join the town guard, but they didn’t want to have anything to do with a ‘known troublemaker.’” There was more than a trace of bitterness in her voice. “I was thinking about trying to join a mercenary band, but I wouldn’t even know where to start finding one. But now you’re here! You can help me keep control!” Her faith was almost touching, if it weren’t completely unwarranted.

“I don’t really about the local kinds of magic,” I hedged.

“But you’re a sorceress,” she said. “Even if you look far too young.”

“Also, I’ll be moving on shortly.” Freya seemed nice, but I didn’t really know her. Not to mention the fact that I didn’t want to be responsible for her being hurt or killed by my pursuers.

Her face fell. “I thought sorceresses were supposed to help.”

Not any kind that I’d ever encountered, but maybe it was different here. “You said that there was a local chapterhouse of sorceresses here?” She nodded. “In which case, I guess I just have to show them the error of their ways.” I swore that I could hear the Princess’ stomach rumbling. “After we’ve finished up here.”

Freya didn’t need to be told twice and tore into the food in front of her with such ferocity that I wondered if it had been her stomach I had heard.

*No,* I was told.

Ah well, then. I didn’t complain too hard. The food here was good.

 

The chapterhouse was glowing with magic. Sadly, I meant that literally. Lots of glowing runes on the walls. They didn’t actually do anything, but I guessed that the local sorceresses thought that it looked impressive.

*Tacky,* the Princess commented.

My thoughts exactly.

I knocked on the door. A middle aged woman dressed in what I guessed were servant’s clothes answered. She glanced at me, but then focused her gaze on Freya.

“You! What are you doing here again? Dragging some poor girl along with you, doubtless with your fancies of magic. Sorceress Delana already told you that you don’t have any magic. Now, be off with you.”

I felt positively ignored.

“Excuse me…” I attempted.

The woman talked straight over me. “I don’t know what this troublemaker has told you, but the sorceresses here don’t time for any nonsense.”

I ground my teeth, concentrated and smoothed out the big, glowing (and oh so garish) rune on the door. As it blinked out the dratted woman finally paused in her flow of words.

I smiled a little. “As I was saying, I’m a sorceress from a distant land. I have business here with whomever is in charge. Can you see that they are informed?”

The woman bowed and scurried away.

*They probably already know,* the Sorceress said. *You disrupting that rune set off half a dozen alarms.*

A different person quickly came to the door. “Please, come in and wait until the head of the chapterhouse can see you,” he said with a good deal more respect and bowed.

I followed the man, glancing back towards Freya to make sure that she was still there. She was quiet and kept on giving me awed looks. We were led to a lushly appointed room.

“Would you like some refreshments?”

“I’m good, thanks.” I didn’t know these people well enough to trust them that far.

“No, thank you,” Freya said.

The man nodded and left, leaving us alone together. I could hear the crackle and hum of wards around me. I didn’t think that they could stop me worldwalking, and in any case I was fairly sure that I could damp down the area if need be.

“Do you see this head before?” I asked Freya.

She shook her head. “No, she’s far too important to see the likes of me. You must be really important if you got an appointment just like that.”

“I just rattled a few cages. Hopefully she’ll be competent enough to realise that you have magic, even if it isn’t their sort.” Their magic that I had encountered so far (the wards) had had a far more solid tone to it. Very much rooted to the here and now of this world. All I had to do now is worry that I might have rattled their cages a little too much. The thought of forces being marshalled past that closed door wasn't tremendously reassuring.

A few minutes later the door was opened by the man who had shown us in here. He moved aside to reveal an older woman in a severe dress. Her grey hair framed a face covered in tattoos. Freya jumped to her feet. I followed suit, a little more calmly. The woman's gaze focused on me.

"I take it you are the mystery sorceress." It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway. She had that kind of presence. "I am the head of the chapterhouse. You can call me Brunhilda."

"I am Keridwen A'Court."

"You are young to claim the title of sorceress, and you don't bear the markings of rank."

"I did say I was from a far off land," I said a little defensively. "We only have tattoos until we graduate. And apparently I'm something of a prodigy."

*Or, more accurately, you have a lot of help.*

Thank you, Princess.

"I see," she said contemplatively. "You certainly managed to dismantle the ward neatly enough. Tell me about this far off land of yours."

And, before I really knew it, I was.

 

"Anyway," I mustered after a long interrogation. I'd tried to be as vague as I could be about certain of the details. I didn't know if the mages of this place could world walk if shown how, but I was fairly certain that no one would thank me if they learned from me. The Princess had been no help. I was fairly sure that she was rooting for Brunhilda. "I didn't come here to talk about me."

Brunhilda took a sip of a fresh cup of tea and gave me a sharp look. I was fairly certain that in her mind, I'd taken the form of a puzzle, and she seemed like a woman who appreciated a challenge. "Why did you come here, then?"

I nodded in Freya's direction, who had been keeping very quiet and out of the way. "My friend here has a problem with her magic. Unlike me, she's a local. I was hoping that you'd be able to help her. Apparently she has tried to come to this chapterhouse several times, but been turned away every time because she doesn't have magic." In my private reality, I sounded accusing. I had a nasty suspicion that I actually sounded placating. Brunhilda just looked at me blandly. "She definitely does have some kind of magic. Even if it isn't the same as yours." Okay, that definitely contained more than my preferred level of pleading. I really wasn't sure how she was doing it. I blamed a chance resemblance to an ogre of a teacher at my primary school.

I completely ignored the mirth from inside my head.

Brunhilda turned to look at Freya. "Please, tell me more."

Freya began describing what she knew of her magic, or the goddess as she called it, about as nervously as I felt. Brunhilda asked a few questions, then sat back and considered.

"I've heard of cases like yours before. I've never seen any personally, but I think I can help you master your gift rather than letting it master you." She paused. "Who exactly did you talk to when you came to the chapterhouse?"

"I don't know their name," Freya said. "He was kind of tall, mousy brown hair, maybe thirty."

"I believe I know who you mean," Brunhilda said. I foresaw trouble in his future. "It is getting late. Freya, you are more than welcome to stay in the chapterhouse whilst we help you. I also offer you hospitality, Keridwen. I would appreciate speaking to you further about these foreign lands you hail from."

"Um...." I said, feeling a little like a mouse staring up at a cat, "I'm not sure that's for the best. I have enemies, people who are trying to kill you. I wouldn't want to bring them down upon you."

"Really?" Brunhilda asked. "You must tell me more about them. I assure you,you are well protected here. The ward you dismantled was the least of our defences."

I was aware of this. I had specifically chosen something showy but otherwise useless. The problem was that I didn't think that the other wards would have been that much harder to get past. Still, it wasn't as though I was going to be able to sleep anywhere safer tonight, and maybe, if they did come for me, breaking through the wards might at least alert me. "Thank you for your generous offer."

Brunhilda smiled and rose to her feet. "I will see you in the morning, then."

I was left wondering whether or not I might be safer outside.

 

A bird fluttered down towards me, a note tied to its foot. A message from a family member, I guessed, possibly connected to that pressure on my mind that I had felt earlier. I unfolded the note to see the by now familiar scrawl of Brand. He used needlessly long words as I had grown to expect, sometimes in very odd ways, but the gist of it appeared to be that he wanted me to use the Trump card he’d given me. Well, I was 99% certain that was what he meant. I groaned. I had attempted to read his notebook, I really had, but in addition to a very dense style, he used what I assumed were technical terms I had never encountered (the Princess less charitably thought that they were words he had made up and probably never explained to anyone) and seemed to assume a lot of basic knowledge I had no idea about. The Sorceress had taken an interest and, from what she said, had managed to make some headway with the book. Which was just as well, because otherwise the only use I would have gotten out of the book would be as a sleeping aid. She had tried to explain what she had learned, and I had managed to get the gist of it, but we were both aware that there were several major assumptions in her guesses.

I retrieved the card and concentrated. There was a sense of dislocation and then I could see Brand standing in front of me.

“Ah, there you are,” he said. “I wanted to start some time ago, but you were resisting my Trump contact.” He stretched his hand out towards me. I went to shake it, but as soon as our hands touched, he pulled me and suddenly I was falling. I managed to keep my balance as I entered the glade where he was.

“I didn’t know who it was,” I said. Plus I wasn’t precisely thrilled at giving someone access to my mind without any ability to cut the connection.

“Wise, I guess,” he muttered, mostly to himself, then perked up. “Obviously that is something we should fix. I was planning another lesson, but I’m sure that can… Oh, yes. How did you get on with my book? What did you think? Please, don’t hold back. I can handle peer review.”

I didn’t really feel like a peer. “Um, I had a few problems understanding it to be honest.”

“Really? I thought it was all very clear.” He frowned. “Please, show me what you had a problem with. I sure we can get this sorted out shortly, and then get on with the class.”

“Well,” I said, opening the book to the first page. “There were a few terms on this page you haven’t defined for a start…”

Brand sighed. “Oh my. This might take a bit longer than I had thought.”

I rather suspected that if I had been left to my own devices, Brand would have quickly given me up as a lost case. Luckily, the Sorceress was interested enough, and had enough grasp of the situation from his notes that she could at least ask intelligent questions, whilst also doing double time in translating what he said into a form I could understand. Thank the Goddess.

“Could you show me how to hide my tracks whilst w- I mean, shadowwalking?” I asked at an appropriate lull in the conversation. Because, for one thing, I’d really love to not have assassins easily able to track me.

“What?” Brand asked, apparently somewhat confused by the abrupt subject change.

“You said that I should learn how to cover my tracks when we first met,” I prompted.

“Oh yes, I did , didn’t I? Very well, this should make for a good first lesson. Now close your eyes and imagine being at the start of the Pattern.”

I had just about enough time to think that it was just typical that I had no idea what this pattern looked like when something shifted in my mind.

 

_I was standing in a dimly lit room, illuminated mostly by a distorted silvery spiral engrave on the ground in front of me. The outermost curve of the spiral ended in front of me. Anticipation. I felt anticipation. This was something I had been looking forward to._

 

I heard screaming, almost joined it before I realised that it was the Princess. The Assassin felt freaked as well. I took a breath, tried to calm myself, tried to pull away from the visions that were gaining a purchase on my mind. I failed.

 

_I was at the start of the spiral. The Pattern. The sense of anticipation was growing._

 

Brand appeared not to notice my distraction. "Now focus on your signature. The part that you felt as you walked the Pattern."

 

_I was at the start of the Pattern. I felt the muscles in my leg start to twitch, as in slow motion I began to raise my foot. Somewhere, distantly, I whimpered._

 

"Have you got a grasp of that?"

I didn't want to focus on these images. I was desperately clinging to the here and now. Do you know what he's talking about, I asked the Sorceress.

*Hmmm... I think so.*

I repeatedly what she said, blindly. I was focused on the trees, the sun, the spring air. Brand continued his burbling, so he must have been satisfied.

 

_I was at the bottom of a staircase. There was a vast weathered door in front of me. I felt anticipation. I raised my hand to open it._

 

I should have felt relief. If anything, the sense of dread settled thicker over me. I felt the Assassin twitching for a non existent dagger. The Princess sought comfort of a different kind, an equally non existent flask.

*I think I have what he's talking about,* the Sorceress said calmly.

 

_I was at the start of the Pattern. My foot was raised. My foot was coming down._

 

*Essentially it seems we have to fill in our trail as we make it.*

 

_I was at the top of some stairs, looking at the same vast, weathered door. My hand was almost on the handle._

_Somewhere, somehow I grasped the essential similarity. That there was no difference between the door and the Pattern. Two ways of looking at the same thing._

_And then I was in a hall of mirrors. Thousands of images, none of them reflecting the hallway. In some, I saw myself. Even the ones that wore different faces. In some ways, especially so. Everywhere, there was urgent whispering. There was something I needed to do, but I had forgotten what. The whispering intensified as, out of the darkness, my Purpose approached._

 

I managed to wrench myself out of the grasp of the visions and just stood there panting for a moment, sweat dripping down the side of my face.

Brand paused in his lecture, looking concerned. "Really, you don't have to concentrate that hard. Well, that's what my brother Bleys w-was..." He flinched and paused a second. There was a whisper of something that might have been a touch of power and he seemed to collect his thoughts.. "Well, that's what my sister Fiona was always telling me when she was teaching me. I didn't really understand what she meant at the time, but at this stage in your training you're really hurting yourself more than helping."

I couldn't help it. I broke into laughter. Brand didn't seem to notice the edge of hysteria.

*What's wrong?* the Sorceress asked.

I didn't have the emotional energy to reply. So I just asked her if she'd help me demonstrate what Brand had asked us to do.

"Well," he said frowning after we were done. "That isn't really the way I would have done it. Are you sure you understood what I was asking?"

I decided honesty was not the best policy in this situation. "Why, didn't it work?"

"I wouldn't say that precisely. Still a little rough around the edges, of course. More than a little, really. But very definitely odd. Not the way I would have done it at all."

"Your teaching must be good, if you can inspire me to accomplish thing in ways you would not have done," I attempted.

He immediately brightened. "Well, yes, I always knew I was a good teacher. I really should have done it before. If I had found someone who could appreciate my talents. You've certainly shown an adequate mastery of the techniques for a beginner. But you'll need to practise, and have improved by the time I next see you." Practising the arts of not being followed was something I already had a lot of incentive to do. He glanced at something I couldn't see. "I need to be off now. Doubtless I'll see you again soon. Please take care of yourself. I think I'm going to enjoy being a teacher." He took a step forwards and disappeared, leaving me in the glade.

I decided that there was no time like the present to start hiding my trail. Maybe I could sleep a little easier tonight. I consciously avoided all thoughts of a glittering spiral.

 

_I was standing before an ancient weathered door. I blinked, and I was standing before a new door. Hadn't it always been been new? No matter. It was the same door. A distant thought came that it was always the same door. But that thought didn't matter, either. What was important was the decision, whether to enter or turn back. And I had honestly no idea what I was going to do._

 

I stirred awake. The Assassin was instantly aware, but I could tell that she didn't detect any threat. Not any external one, anyway. From her lack of reaction, I suspected that she hadn't shared my dream.

I stayed awake a little, looking at the starry sky above me.

*You need to sleep,* the Princess chided. *Just because you're nervous, it doesn't mean that you run from it.*

Nervous? I took a breath and sighed. Remembered how I had been the last time I ran myself into the ground. Fair enough. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

 

_I ignored the watching eyes. My whole concentration was on the line in front of me. To move was agony. The only problem was to stay still was death. I could do it. I knew I could. I'd prove to them all that someone of the second kingdom could walk the Pattern._

 

Crap! Now I was walking the damn thing in my dreams!

*What's wrong?* the Sorceress asked, cool concern in her voice.

I thought about trying to explain, then remembered that she hadn't seemed to react during the lesson. There didn't seem much point in bringing it up. Nothing.

*Nothing? You seem to be having problems sleeping tonight.*

Nightmares.

*Meditate on something pleasant as you go to sleep. Let that become the focus of your dreams.*

*Try Seraphina,* the Princess added.

Oh great. She had decided to wake up as well. But my mood was broken, and as I started drifting again, my thoughts did turn to Seraphina, her blue form, changing, metamorphosing as I fell deeper asleep.

 

_I frowned at the green skinned girl sitting in front of me, and turned to gaze out the window, absently running my fingers across the spines of the books of the middle shelf._

_"You always do that when you're troubled," her voice came from behind me, a much richer tone than I'd expect from someone so young._

_I turned back to see the crooked smile of a green skinned woman, now secure in her maturity. Her smile faded as she looked back at the cards, changing to a thoughtful frown. "The ascendants are restless tonight," she said._

_"It's worse than that," I replied._

 

I think I might have stirred, but I didn't achieve wakefulness.

 

_There was a sea of people around me, the mirrored walls reflecting them to infinity. I used the word people advisedly, their shapes and colours a dizzying mix. Still, that at least was not completely new. I looked down at my dress. My best dress. Not what I usually choose to work in. But camouflage was not just a matter of lurking in shadows, the opinions of certain of my relatives notwithstanding. I was uneasily aware, though, that this was *not* my favoured arena._

_My companion was having no such problems. Greeting people, smiling, chatting, Merlin was definitely in his element. It was all his fault I was there, in this dress, at this party. In Unification. If I had my way, none of these would be true._

_I heard a crackle and hiccup, like a record player almost skipping a track. Magic? I blinked as my eyes seemed to lose focus, the images in the mirrors blurring for a second. It took me almost a full second to realise that it wasn't my eyes, it wasn't the mirrors, it had been the world that had warped. The distortion was gone almost before I realised what had happened._

_I seized Merlin's arm and drew him to me in a tight embrace. This was going to be close, and I didn't want to extend my powers any more than I had to._

_He had just enough time to say "Why, Juliet, I never suspected..." before the reality quake hit._

 

The morning light woke me up. Despite all the disturbances, I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the world.

A bird fluttered down, a note attached to its leg. Great, probably another note from Brand telling me another thing he'd forgotten to mention.

Keridwen,  
Call me, now. It's urgent.  
Llewella.

Oh, great.


	23. Chapter 23

As I concentrated on the card, it started to hum. Slightly differently in tone to Brand's card I absently noted. A connection snapped into place almost immediately, and a worried looking green skinned face swam into view. It was recognisably the girl/woman from my dreams. I knew rationally that I shouldn't be surprised, but it was still something of a shock.

"What do you want?" I asked as I recovered.

Llewella blinked, and a brief expression passed over her face that I didn't quite catch. I had just enough time to regret that I had seemed a little short (I really hadn't intended that) when she replied. "I think Benedict has found out about you. He has been making inquiries at the Facility."

My throat tightened. Seraphina. My friends. They could be in danger. But I was being hunted. I had to run. The landscape around me seemed to close in.

"I..." I cleared my throat. What could I do? "I'm going to have to talk to him."

"You are?"

*What?* demanded the Princess.

My mind was working faster than my thoughts. "I think I know how I can get his attention." I had to protect Seraphina, my friends. And I knew that I couldn't run away.

"Are you sure?" Llewella's voice held concern, worry.

No, I really was not. But... I remembered a snatch of a dream where I called a tall man 'Father.' Maybe, if that was real, and not just another phantom... I guessed it was worth a shot. I couldn't run any more. I couldn't.

"Yes, I'm sure." I tried to sound like I meant it.

Llewella just seemed to accept this. "I am sure you don't need me to tell you to take care," she sighed. "Just... please let me know that you are fine. Afterwards."

*Someone has a crush on you, Keri.*

I ignored her. "I will."

She nodded, clearly unsatisfied, but unwilling to press. She bit her lip briefly, looking like she wanted to say something, then just raised her hand in a wave. I covered the card and she disappeared.

 

I couldn't go to the Facility. Too many people I cared about there, should things go wrong. I didn't want to get them involved, and I *knew* some of them would. Seraphina, for a start. So, a creature of desire. I just hoped that my half remembered dream would give me enough of a fix to send one.

'Hi Dad! Want to meet up, for old times sake?' I wrote, and attached the note to a summoned bird.

There. Let's see what that shakes up.

 

'Meet me on top of the clocktower in the old world,' read the return.

Oh great. Well, that was helpful.

*You were the one claiming to be his daughter,* the Princess pointed out. *I guessed he thought that you'd know where that was.*

*Or it's a test,* the Assassin added.

Neither of which really tells me whether he's going to kill me if I turn up. Um... have any of you ever encountered something which could be this clocktower?

Silence greeted me.

Well, it had been worth a shot.

*I think I have seen a picture of it,* the Sorceress said hesitantly. *It might have been a Trump.*

Can you show me?

She projected an image of a clocktower in the foreground and a city in the background. It was fairly fuzzy and some of the details changed. *Sorry,* she apologised. *It's been a while and I wasn't really paying attention.*

I concentrated on it, trying to hear it's harmonic, but it was too faint. A picture didn't really work as a proper focus.

Curses.

Something stirred in the darkness of my mind.

*Here, I can help,* came a faint voice. I had heard that voice before. She had talked to me when the Facility came under attack.

Quite frankly, at this point, I'd take any help I could get. Even if I wasn't too sure who this was. Lead on, I guess.

 

I was still a little way out, when I decided to take a break. There was always the chance that I might not be coming back from this, and if I was actually going to reincarnate some time in the future, it might be nice to have at least some information to guide me. Such as, for instance, if you're getting this, then Benedict probably killed me. Cheery thought. I wrote down as many relevant points as I could think of, then attached the booklet to a bird and released it, to return when either I came away from this and was in a safe place or when my next incarnation was ready to receive it.

 

I concentrated very hard on where I was putting my foot down next. Travelling the worlds here felt odd, like I was walking along a tightrope, and a single misstep might send me plunging to my doom.

*Nothing so pleasant,* came the whisper of that voice again.

I couldn't feel her, like I could the others. Couldn't get a feel for her, either, which didn't improve things.

I took one more step, and the worlds twisted around me once again. It was night, but against the moon, I could see a familiar silhouette. I was here.

The city was silent. The empty eyes of windows stared at me vacantly through the dimness. Despite the fact that the buildings generally seemed to be in good condition, it had the air of a place that had been abandoned for centuries. It seemed familiar somehow.

*I don't like this,* the Princess muttered.

I shivered. Me neither.

Still, somewhere out there was a man who might try and kill me, for reasons unknown. I guessed that there was nothing for it, but to make my way onwards. At least here I was in my element, in the city. Time to take to the rooftops, I felt.

It looked like this wasn't an unusual mode of travel for the previous inhabitants, whomever they had been. There were walkways between many of the buildings, creating a web across the rooftops. It all looked very... convenient.

*You're sulking, aren't you?*

Not at all.

*The rooftops has always been your little domain, and you don't like sharing.*

I loftily ignored the Princess. Not to mention the walkways. Who knew how stable they were?

*I'll note that you're not questioning the state of the rooftops.*

I know rooftops.

*Uhuh.*

 

The clocktower stood in alone in a clearing in the stone forest. There was what looked like it had once been a park near it, which now more resembled an overgrown forest, but that was the only cover anywhere near it. I made my way cautiously around square surrounding the clocktower, using the buildings for cover. Once or twice I saw a glint of something at the top of the tower, maybe a shadow moving around. In the darkness, it was hard to be sure, but I made my best guess as to the side it was prowling around, and made my way to the opposite side of the square.

The tower looked impossibly far away, the moonlight suddenly far too bright. I was certain that I'd be noticed as I flitted across the square. Surely he'd hear my beating heart if nothing else. Then I was at the base of the tower, looking up and straining my ears for the slightest noise.

Nothing.

*That could just mean that he's spotted you and is waiting,* the Assassin offered up.

Thanks.

Naturally, I didn't trust entering the building. Anything could be in there. Luckily, the outside provided plenty of handholds for me to free climb up the side. When I was about three quarters of the way up, next a barred window, I stopped and tugged at the bars, gently at first, then more firmly. It seemed sturdy enough. I unwrapped one end of the rope around my waist and attached it with a clip to one of the bars on the window. I then unwrapped the rest of the rope, and fed it through my harness, leaving enough slack to get to the top. If I had to jump, it'd hurt but it wouldn't cripple me, and jumping gave me a quick way off the top if I needed it.

I peered cautiously through a gap between crenellations. I'd interpreted the footsteps correctly. He was facing the other direction. I slipped silently over the battlements to the tower and slouched against a crenellation, rope hopefully hidden by my body.

"You took your time," he said without turning. I jumped. His voice was dry, like dust. It seemed old (older than some part of me remembered). I put aside any sense that I knew him. I couldn't trust it.

"It seemed prudent," I replied when I could trust my voice to remain steady

He turned to look at me searchingly.

*He does look familiar,* the Princess mused.

You’re getting that too?

*No, I don’t think so. It’s just… doesn’t he look like Captain Trelawney?*

I blinked. I had been ignoring any sense of familiarity on purpose, but now that the Princess mentioned it, he did look like the good Captain. A lot. Older though. And that was before you looked in his eyes. Huh.

"You're younger than I expected. How old are you?" he asked.

"Why are you looking for me?" I asked in return.

He narrowed his eyes. "What is the way the world ends?" As he said that, I heard the woman from the TV saying again "This is the way the world ends" overlaying his words.

I think I must have reacted, because he nodded to himself and asked "How much do you remember?"

Something bubbled in the darkness like a scream. I bit my lip and held it down. That wasn't a question I was prepared to answer, for a number of reasons.

"You haven't answered my question," he asked after waiting for a minute.

"You haven't answered mine."

He sighed wearily. "As if I needed any proof that this was you. Very well. I am looking for you because you are someone important to me. And to the universe."

"Important?"

He looked steadily at me. "I am the right hand of the throne. You are the left. We were attacked, we were the defense and we took the battle to the enemy."

"I see."

His expression turned a little desperate. "You must see! You have to access my daughter's memories."

I flinched. The Purpose bubbled away in the the darkness, waiting. My desperation started to match his expression. "I can't."

His face went blank at that. He paused for a few seconds, gaze turning inwards, then looked at me again. "You must," he said flatly.

I mustn't, wouldn't, couldn't, shan't. I couldn't seem to force those words out, knowing that they would leave me vulnerable, show my confusion. "Why?" slipped out before I knew what I was saying.

"You have to remember." He looked me straight in the eyes, and, just for instant, I felt perfect empathy with him, felt the shattered desolation that lay beneath the calm exterior. "You have to remember," he repeated, "because I can't."

"I'm sorry," I blurted out. I tried avoid thinking about what I was apologising for.

"This can't be a coincidence."

I shrugged.

"Will you let me look at you?"

He might see... I didn't know what he might see. But it felt like danger. As if in a dream, I felt my body start to prepare to run.

A quiet voice broke into my thoughts. *He's not talking about just using his eyes, you know.*

My confusion collapsed, and for a minute I had to stop myself laughing. Thank you, Princess. I'm sure I couldn't have worked that out for myself.

*It's hard to tell, sometimes.*

I'm glad you have so great a regard for my wit.

*It's just as well you have us to look after you, isn't it.*

Yes.

She made a soft embarrassed sound. *I believe Benedict is waiting for your answer.*

I turned my gaze outwards. "Why?" If it was just curiosity, I was going to tell him to clear off.

"I need to tell whether or not you have been corrupted by demons."

I shuddered. I was fairly sure that he hasn't talking about Unification servitors. An image of my parents flashed before my eyes. "I'm not, no." I took a breath. "Fine. But I'll be listening to what you are doing."

The regular hum of Pattern emanated from him. I almost jumped as I felt whispery layers of power brush against me, like trailing cobwebs. I'd never felt power before, and it definitely wasn't Pattern. It didn't seem invasive, so I managed not to freak out. Much.

The power disappeared and he shifted almost imperceptibly. Suddenly the lines in his face made him look tired as well as old.

"I'm glad I didn't have to kill you."

"Like you killed her." I wasn't too sure which her I was talking about, but I figured he'd know.

He nodded.

I took a gamble. "Juliet. Flora's daughter."

"When I found her, she was far gone." He paused a second, looking over my shoulder. "I managed to save her daughter. Your mother."

My mother? I tried to imagine Lindsey with magical powers, like our family all seemed to have, and my mind balked. Still... "It didn't save her."

"How did she die?"

I laughed bitterly. "You should know. The world ended."

He wrinkled his brow and shook his head. "No. It's too soon. The cycle hasn't ended yet. Where did you go then?"

I shrugged. "Nowhere. I just survived by myself in the city."

"Why didn't I manage to find you here when I looked?"

What? "I haven't been here before."

His expression cleared. "I see. Then there is still time. Come, we have work to be done."

I backed away. This was all going way too fast. I didn't know him. I didn't trust him, and I ignored any part of me that did. "I'm sorry. I can't do anything." I snorted bitterly. "The only thing I'm good at is running, and I doubt that's a talent that you can use."

"You can do so much more. I can see it in you."

"I can't." I shook my head in negation. "You're, you're just seeing your daughter. Not me."

He raised his hand towards me. "I believe-"

I flattened myself against the crenellation. "I need to get aw- some space."

He pulled back his hand as I flinched. "I... understand. Please, contact me by bird of desire when you feel ready."

I had to get away, now. Memories were rising and I had to try and escape now, before they got here. I flipped over the wall and just fell, letting the rush of air snatch the confusion from me. Soon enough, I'd hit the limit of the rope and gravity would catch up with me, but until then, I was free.

 

I had only just left the twisting path leading from the world when there was a blur of motion from above me. The Assassin moved my body on instinct and I was behind a tree before I saw that a hawk had landed where I had just been standing. A hawk with a note attached to its leg. Oh great, more fan mail from my relatives.

On closer inspection, the note looked yellowed with age. As I unfurled it, it cracked into several pieces. Luckily there wasn't a breeze, and I managed to fit the pieces together on the ground. How old was this thing?

The note read:

'If you’re getting this, things didn’t work out so well. It also means that you’ve got your memories back sufficiently that you’re on the job, or that you need to know this now, for whatever reason.

I’m Whisper, also known as Juliet. I am a former student of the Facility. Hopefully these names are familiar to you. If not, I imagine you’ll be getting a headache with accompanying visions right about now. I’m working with the Crown Prince of Unification (or Chaos, depending on whom you ask), a man called Merlin, and we’re about to do something rather stupid. If we survive, it will be called heroic, but you’re getting this letter, so I guess not. Assuming that there’s enough left of this universe to matter, there are some things you need to know.

The first thing is that we’ve been investigating some kind of cult. Normally, no one would really care, but they’ve got some people of real power working for them and/or managed to tap some serious juju. They’re trying to bring about the end of everything and they might just have the ability to do it. They’ve got people in every centre of power, Unification, Amber, even the Facility. I’ll give you some names later, but they’re probably out of date. The important thing is that they’re currently winding up to a big ritual to summon and bind a being of great destructive power. I’m not sure on the details exactly – we didn’t exactly have a lot of time for research. The one thing we do know is that it requires a vessel that could handle containing it. These aren’t as common as you might think – they require someone of the blood of both Courts. Unfortunately, they’ve managed to find one, the daughter of Princess Fiona of Amber and Duke Mandor of Unification. We’re not too sure if either are involved. Hell, we don’t even know if Mandor knows he has a kid. Despite the fact that Merlin and he are good friends, Merlin hasn’t managed to find the right time to pop the question yet. Especially as we’ll quite probably have to kill the vessel. That kind of thing really tests the boundaries of friendship.

Anyway, now you know. If you’re getting this, then it seems likely the ritual didn’t go quite as planned. However, if you’re not currently investigating either cult or the remnants of the ritual, it probably means that they’re a danger to you. Or your loved ones. Be warned.

Best of luck,  
Whisper'

Loved ones? I quickly scribbled a note to Broadway, outlining what was in the letter. I had a horrible feeling that I knew who the note was referring to. I couldn't think why the cult would be interested in Lindsey. I could think of only one other loved one.

"Seraphina," I whispered and ran.

 

As I approached her quarters at a swift clip everything seemed normal. Maybe this was a false alarm. Maybe the magic that had sent me the note thought that because I had met with Benedict I was intent on tracking down this cult. I skidded to a halt in front of the door and prepared to knock. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of steel on steel.

It was probably just as well that she'd be moving quarters to the new site sometime soon.

The door didn't stand a chance. Seraphina's body lay in a pool of crystal blue blood.

Oh goddess.

I think I looked at her for a second or so before the sounds of combat broke my trance. Corwin and a man in the uniform of a Facility guard were fighting.

I was going to kill whomever was responsible for Seraphina. I just had to figure out who was the guilty party.

*Guard has blue blood on his sword,* the Assassin said.

Excellent. I had a target.

*Keri, you need him alive, a prisoner,* the Princess said.

I ignored her as I went for one of my knives.

*You need him alive to tell you who is behind this.*

Point. I grabbed a chair instead and flung it smoothly towards the man. Corwin bound his blade long enough for it to connect. The guard went down bonelessly.

I rushed over to Seraphina's body. Blood was still leaking from it. Maybe she was still alive.

I frantically tried to apply the lessons I had learned helping out at the clinic. It wasn't enough. Her body was covered in small injuries, mostly crystalised over. I could hear her voice tell me that that meant that they hadn't been inflicted in the last hour or so. She'd been tortured. I swallowed dryly. Why hadn't I gotten that stupid note before? Why hadn't I tried to get a Trump of her for myself?

*Concentrate.*

I drove these thoughts out of my head. The only wound I had to worry about was a deep one to her chest. This was the wound that was killing her. I didn't think I was up to the task.

"The guard's dead," Corwin said to me, squatting down beside me. "How are you doing?"

"Not well. We need to get her to the clinic."

"Do you know anything there you can trust?" Trust absolutely, his tone added for him.

"No, not really. I don't know who I'd trust... that much."

"How good are you at treating wounds?"

"Not very," I glanced up at him with tears coming down my face. "Do you think you can do better?"

"I've some experience. I'll do my best. Take a look at her attacker. Maybe you can get something out of his corpse."

I tried to distract myself with the body.

*That chair definitely did not kill him,* the Assassin opined.

Magic, maybe? I listened. I could hear a faint sound like the scratching of fingernails. Moving my head around, I narrowed it down to the back of his neck. I guessed I had found the cause of death, not that there was much more that I could tell about it. If only Broadway was here. He’d be able to tell much more about it. Goddess, he’d be able to talk to the guy’s spirit. But he was off in some other world, and it’d take ages to fetch him.

*Let me lend a hand.*

I jumped. That wasn’t a voice I’d heard before. Help how?

*You and this Broadway are connected, right? With a hop, skip and a prayer, I should be able to make that connection into something greater.*

What kind of greater? To say I was dubious of this prospect was something of an understatement.

*The type that can get him here quickly.* She laughed. *Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be anything permanent.*

Shouldn’t be?

*What’s life without a little risk?*

Much happier, in my experience.

*I can see that you need my help more than I thought. Anyway, are you going to move over?*

I was unhappy about the prospect, but I acceded. If we could get him here now, he could do some good.

*You’ve got paper in that backpack of yours?*

It’s proven useful for messages.

*Good.*

She rummaged inside it and got my notepad out and ripped out a blank page. She also grabbed a pencil, which I had expected, and a small bowl, which I hadn’t I saw my left hand reach for a sheathed dagger and draw it.

*Hang on. This is going to sting a little.*

It did.

She squeezed some blood into the bowl. *Now, imagine this Broadway.*

I focussed through the pain and brought his image to my mind.

*Good. I think I’ve got it.*

And she started. She sketched out his image with the pencil, then dipped the tip in the bowl and used that to ink the image. It was surprisingly lifelike. As she finished, there was a spectral ring, and the paper seemed to faintly hum.

*There,* she said, sounding satisfied, leaning back to admire her work. *That should work. For one use, at least.*

I quickly nicknamed her the Artist. She seemed amused at the moniker. Why? I asked her.

*Oh, no reason. Just, I haven’t been called that in a while. A couple of years at least*

I left her to her secrets and took control of my body again and immediately went over to look at how Seraphina was doing. She was still breathing gently, but Corwin was still working hard and didn’t even spare me a grunt. I made a quick prayer to the Goddess for her before returning to the sketch.

I concentrated on the image, and *pushed*. I was just about at my limit when I felt something happen, a connection.

“Yes?” came Broadway’s voice faintly. I could see him dimly, as though through a thick heat haze. “Keri?”

“You’ve got to come,” I told him. “Seraphina’s been hurt and… you’ve got to come.”

He reached out his hand. I had to stretch so far, but I managed to reach it, and pulled with all of my strength. The sheet of paper burst into fire as I did so, but Broadway arrived, looking none the worse for wear. I quickly filled him in.

"Well, that's definitely the energy of the Others," he mused. "It looks like a contingency trigger of some kind. It's expended so it's a little hard to tell exactly what its parameters were, but I'm guessing that they included him being captured alive."

"He doesn't have tattoos, so he's probably not one of the staff," I said. "He could be one of the people that the Hendrakes brought in."

"I'll see if I can get his ghost." Broadway concentrated and then blinked. "It's hard. It's almost like his spirit has been dissipated."

"Do you think that you can get anything from the remnants?"

"I'll get something alright." He went back to concentrating and the hum of magic around him intensified and got sharper.

I fiddled with a piece of rope whilst I waited. I kept on glancing over at Seraphina, but there it wasn't as though there was any visible change. Corwin was still working, which was good, I guessed. She was going to be fine, I kept on telling myself. It helped, kind of.

"Apparently he was from Unification," Broadway finally said. "A client race of one of the houses, but he left to 'pursue freelance opportunities elsewhere' according to him."

"A mercenary?"

"Sounds like it. Anyway, he managed to join up with a secret society who allegedly recognised his talents. He thinks that they're a group devoted to gaining power in Unification." Broadway obviously had his doubts about that.

"So why would they have been interested in Seraphina?"

Broadway was silent for a moment. "According to him, she'd been asking questions. He'd been sent to find out how she found out about them and shut her up." He seemed a little subdued.

"She's not going to be safe here any more." I had got to get her out. She wouldn't thank me for that though. "Did he know anyone else here? Did he have a local contact?"

Broadway shrugged. "I'm guessing the name was fake, but he described a roughly humanoid guy with the tattoos of a guard."

"Can you describe the tattoos exactly? Any other distinctive features." I'd spent time practicing with the guards under Captain Trelawney's tuition. It was possible I'd be able to identify him.

Broadway described a sergeant's tattoos. That narrowed the field considerably. That and the hair colour...

"Sergeant Kathry," I growled. "I'm going to..." I paused. What would I do?

"Who?" Corwin asked, standing up from Seraphina's supine form.

"How is she?" I asked, bounding over to her.

"Stable. She needs to recover, though. This wouldn't seem to be the safest place, though."

"I'll get her away from here," I said absently. I looked around the room. She'd need clothes, toiletries. She'd probably have them ready to pack. She was going to be moving soon anyway.

"So, what was the name I heard?"

"Sergeant Kathry. He was this guy's contact. He's a member of the Facility guards."

Corwin smiled. "I've been spending some time with the guard whilst I've been here. Shouldn't be too hard to get him alone. And then..." Corwin really had a scary smile on occasion. I shivered. I wouldn't want to be in Kathry's shoes.

"You'll need me along to make sure he doesn't just die as well," Broadway said.

"It's decided then," Corwin said. He reached inside a pocket and brought out a deck of cards. He shuffled out a card of himself and handed it to me. "Call me when you've got her somewhere safe. I'll let you know what we've discovered."

I packed some essentials in a bag, slung it over a shoulder then carefully picked Seraphina up. I needed to get her out, quickly and quietly. Luckily, that had never been a problem for me.

"See you around," I nodded to them and left.


	24. Chapter 24

I needed somewhere safe for Seraphina. I needed somewhere that could treat her. Those were the two thoughts I was focusing on, as I inched my way through worlds, trying as hard as I could not to leave a trail. Seraphina was still unconscious in my arms, breathing weakly. She was getting weaker. I needed to get somewhere safe quickly, somewhere that could treat her.

My first impression as I entered the next world was light, bright orange light. I blinked away the tears to see weapons, guns of some kind, being held in my direction by a group of men and women of various physiologies, a looming fortress behind them. Grey stone, I thought incongruously, as I prepared to try and dive behind cover (any cover would be nice).

"Good day, ma'am. We've been expecting you. If you would like to take the patient this way...?" The woman's accent was disarmingly soft.

I blinked. Oh.

A man who had been scanning the skies barked. "Quickly! We're not too sure how long it will be before the next attack."

Great. Apparently my subconscious' idea of safe involved a war zone. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised.

 

"... so as you can see, our defenses are extremely sophisticated. Your friend should be completely safe here."

*Adequate,* judged the Assassin. Given her penchant for critique that was high praise indeed.

That just left the medical care. On the bright side, they seemed confident that they had the expertise to look after her, despite her fairly unique body. On the down side...

"No, I would not like you to keep her sedated," I reiterated firmly for the tenth time.

"Are you sure? Healing from serious goes much more quickly if the patient doesn't do anything that might make their situation worse and just let's their body focus on repairing itself."

"I am *very* sure." I didn't need to have hung around Seraphina's clinic that much in order to know that this wasn't best practice there.

"Well..." the softly spoken woman seemed dubious. "Just let us know if you change your mind." She brought up her datapad. "We have a room booked for you on the same floor. VIP suite, should be entirely suitable."

"That shouldn't be necessary," I said.

"It's all been paid for."

I thought of how helpless and fragile Seraphina had seemed cradled in my arms, and decided that I didn't care how good their security was. "I'll be staying in her room."

"Okay," she said a little slowly. "Okay," she repeated more quickly seeing the look in my eye. "I'll see if we can get a campbed in there."

I shrugged. "A chair will be fine." She looked at me for a second, then opened her mouth as if to object. "Really, I tend to sleep in a lot worse places."

The woman just looked disbelievingly at me. Ah well.

Just how much did rooms at this hospital cost anyway?

 

Seraphina whimpered softly.

I snapped into focus. I'd been awake, kind of, the sort of haze you drift into when there's nothing imminent going on, but you still want to remain aware just in case. Sitting for hours thinking of nothing was something I was rather good at. I'd had a lot of practice.

She was obviously still asleep, and I didn't want to disturb her, but it still cut me to hear that tone from her.

"Please," she whispered, "Please don't hurt me anymore."

Oh goddess. She must be dreaming of... that. I didn't want to hear this.

"Please, I don't know anything."

The room seemed to take a vaguely dreamlike air, like I was in a nightmare and I couldn't get out. I wanted to move, to end this, but I couldn't seem to make my body respond.

"Not my eye. Please, not my eye." She screamed, a thin thready sound, sounding like it was coming from a distance.

The sound jolted me, and suddenly I could move. I reached my hand out and shook her, gently.

She didn't wake. Oh goddess, she didn't wake. I felt like I was falling ever further into nightmare myself.

"Please, I don't know what you want." She was crying, and made movements like she was trying to move her hands but couldn't.

She still had both eyes. I knew she still had both eyes when I had examined her. I just hoped that meant that in reality he hadn't removed an eye. I wished that I couldn't imagine so clearly what was happening in her dream.

I shook her harder. She still didn't wake.

"Please..." she cried.

Water splotched onto her face. I realised dimly that it must be from my face.

I couldn't shake her any harder. I might hurt her. Like he had hurt her.

I couldn't wake her, couldn't stop the pain. Just like I couldn't stop it in reality. Or nightmare. Or whatever this was.

I kept shaking her gently as I did the only thing I could do and bled for her inside, baptising her in my tears.

 

*Do you want to talk about it?* the Princess asked when Seraphina had drifted back into (hopefully) dreamless sleep.

Talk about what? I tried to act nonchalantly.

*Y'know. That.* The Princess didn't seem to want to approach the subject either.

I did. But I didn't. My sisters were too close. I could feel that the Princess didn't really want to talk about it either. I didn't want to hurt her, hurt us, make us bleed again by going over *that*.

*I'm sorry,* the Princess said.

You don't need to apologise.

*I like to think that I'm so capable. But I've never gone through that. Anything like that, really.*

I'm not sure it wouldn't help. Just witness how crap we both are at helping each other with the loss of parents. It hurts too much.

*Maybe when we're older.*

Maybe. I'd never felt so inadequate. But I didn't want to think about it just now, just wanted to avoid the whole subject. Wanted to forget the nightmare that wanted to draw me back in again.

*So, happy thoughts?* I could feel the Princess' best attempt at a smile.

Happy thoughts.

 

Seraphina gasped and her eyes flicked open. She hadn't returned to the lucid nightmare, but I was guessing that her dreams hadn't been necessarily pleasant. I reached towards her and she flinched away, cowering from my touch.

*She's not seeing you,* the Princess said.

It still hurt. Even as I berated myself for being so stupid, it still hurt.

"Seraphina," I said as softly as I could manage. "Seraphina, it's me, Keri. You're safe."

"Re-" Her voice cracked and she swallowed. "Really?"

"Really. He's gone. Dead. He'll never hurt you again."

"Oh, Keri. Did you-?" I had to smile, despite everything. Her first thought had been worry about me, that I might have had to kill.

"No," I reassured her. Well, not exactly. Though I was honestly uncertain as to whether I would have or not, given the choice. She didn't need to hear that though.

*You wouldn't have done,* the Princess sounded confident. *Considering your life, you're probably our most principled sister in that way. You're not a killer.*

*Not yet,* the Assassin added.

Thanks.

"I thought I remembered Corwin," Seraphina said, her brow wrinkled. "Though that might have been a dream."

"Corwin." Ah, yes, Corwin. The person who got you into this state. "He was there."

"Was he- was he involved in the attack?" She looked scared again.

"No," I ground out. "Technically not. But he shouldn't have got you involved in this."

"Got me involved?" Seraphina looked confused.

"In looking for the cult." The thing that had brought her to the attention of that man.

"That wasn't Corwin. That was-" she broke off midsentence.

"Broadway." Of course it was. I could just see it now.

I felt the Princess try to hide something from me. You knew.

*Yes, well...* the normally unflappable Princess stammered. *No. I guessed.*

You didn't tell me! How could you do this to me, you bitch? To her? She's been tortured! She could have easily died! She would have died, if not for Corwin and I turning up.

*Because you're stupid and you don't listen!* she flamed back. *You-*

I'm stupid?

*Yes! You'd have messed everything up-*

I don't need to listen to this, you stuck up, sheltered, pampered-

*Sheltered? Pampered?* the Princess' voice rose. *You can hardly string together two words without- without fucking up.* I felt her resort to the vulgarity as her normally polite words failed her. *The only reason Seraphina even likes you is because I was there to help socialise after you'd been living like an animal for two and a half years.*

It felt like a punch. *At least I trust you. Trusted you.*

I felt her start to protest, but shut her out of my mind, furious, shaking. I couldn't believe that she'd do that to me. I felt alone, even with the others still there. The Princess had always felt like a combination of my best friend, confidante and sister. I couldn't believe that she'd do that to me. I couldn't believe-

*Sisters and best friends can always hurt each other the worst,* the Sorceress said.

I suppressed the turmoil I was feeling and focused outside. Seraphina had shrunk into the bed, looking scared.

I consciously forced my expression to calmness. "Sorry."

"Broadway didn't do anything wrong," she said.

Broadway and I would be having words about that. At a later date. But I didn't think Seraphina would appreciate my reasons. "Well, right or wrong, the cult know you exist. You can't go back to the Facility. They'll kill you." Or worse.

"They can't drive me away from my home." Her tone didn't quite match the certainty of her words.

"You're ill. You need to recuperate." I tried softening my words with a smile, and was rewarded with one in return. A shaky one, true, but it was the first sign that my beautiful crystalline scientist would return.

"Yes, nurse," she said softly and relaxed back into the bed.

Just like when we were back in the clinic. Suddenly the smile didn't seem so forced after all. As long as I kept on ignoring the silent cries in my mind.

 

The next couple of days quickly proved that

a) I really had a limited store of stories, especially without my traitorous sister to help  
b) retelling that time I fought a pack of large feral rats for a cache of chocolate sounded a *lot* better in my head  
c) Seraphina's idea of talking to pass the time quickly turned into esoteric and high level theoretical talk. Maybe some *other* people might have profited from it, but I did not.

I loved Seraphina dearly, but I would have felt like murdering her if I wasn't so worried. And I still caused her to flinch whenever I moved suddenly. And the nightmares... I made sure to have always a glass of water by her bedside. Shaking might not waken her, but half a glass of water seemed to do the trick. She spluttered cutely and complained, but never actually told me to stop, so I didn't. She never thanked me, either, but then she didn't need to. She still occasionally made noises about being well enough to go back to the Facility, but I had managed to dissuade her so far. With a sick sense of dread, I knew she was going to go, and, once there, unless something changed, sooner or later the cult would try again. And probably succeed.

 

"So, Keri, how did you happen to come to my rescue?"

I blinked. I had to confess that I hadn't really been listening to what she had been saying, just relaxing in the sound of her voice.

"I can understand that Corwin might just walk in - we have been talking about various things quite a bit recently, and the man doesn't seem to understand personal space," her voice contained a fond note, "but it is not usual for you to just burst in."

"Um..." I delayed. "Well, I received a note addressed to me, and apparently the triggering conditions were that I was investigating this cult, which I wasn't, or that someone I love was being threatened by them."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Crap, I thought, my brain having just caught up with my mouth.

"Oh," said Seraphina.

"My new teacher has some interesting metaphysical ideas," I blurted out.

Seraphina looked like she was just as eager to change the subject. "Really?"

"Yes..." Help, I begged the Sorceress

*I'm not sure Brand would appreciate this,* she replied doubtfully.

Yeah, well, I'll deal with that problem later. I need help now!

*Very well,* she said and started discussing some of Brand's more esoteric thoughts with Seraphina. She looked a little surprised at my sudden eloquence on the subject, but didn't ask any questions. And soon we had left that little topic far, far behind.

 

I jerked alert at the faint mad chattering of logrus energy. Looking around, it was centred on one of the room windows.

Letters started forming in the condensation there.

'We need to talk. Meet you at the cafe where I missed you recently.  
Broadway'

I pursed my lips. There was no way I was going to meet him. Firstly, I was still too pissed off at him over getting Seraphina attacked, even if he did it accidentally. Secondly, there was no way I leaving Seraphina by herself here. The hospital might think it was secure, but I wasn't so certain.

I glanced at Seraphina, who was looking at me questioningly.

I shook my head firmly. "I'm not going to leave you here alone," I told her as I got out some paper to reply to Broadway.

She relaxed a little. She tended to look slightly stressed whenever I so much as left the room (to say, go to the toilet).

Of course, that didn't help the fact that she clearly resented me fussing over her. She never actually raised her voice, but her comments could cut me like glass. I didn't let it show. I was fairly sure that it would wound her deeply to know that I cried silently each night when the lights went out.

All I could do was try and keep her as safe as I could, and be there for her however she needed me.

I just hoped that our friendship would survive this.

 

The most pathetic squeak I had ever heard came from the corner. Knife in hand I investigated and saw a medium sized rat doing its level best to drag a thick text book behind it. It managed to drag it a few more inches before its little legs gave out and splayed in all directions. Lacking even the energy to squeak again, it wearily lifted its head towards me and gave me a reproachful stare before letting it flop to the floor again.

"What is it?" Seraphina asked.

I cut the cord tying the tome to the rat, and opened the book to reveal a neatly written note. Just as I had thought.

"It's my Amber tutor. Apparently he's been wondering where I have been."

I should have guessed something like this would happen. I'd blocked several Trump calls over the last day. After the first one, I'd sent a note by creature of desire to Brand, telling him that I had gotten caught up in affairs and wouldn't be available for the next little whole.

The note read:

'To my favourite (and only) student,  
Too well do I understand that matters can catch one up and carry you away from your studies. I understand how much missing my lessons must grieve you, so I sent you a present to (hopefully) make up for it. Finish this off and practice some of lessons within when you have a spare moment, and we'll discuss it next time we meet.  
Your obliging tutor,  
Brand'

I really can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not, I thought. When there wasn't any response, I remembered with a pang that I had banished the Princess. Then I remembered with a fury what she had done, and my resolve to wall her away strengthened. Even if it hurt me, I couldn't let her betray me again.

I gave my best smile to Seraphina. "It looks like I'll be working on some homework whilst we're here."

"Anything you can share with me?" Seraphina looked hopefully at me.

I felt like a heel. "Sorry..."

She looked crushed. Days away from research were clearly taking their toll.

"Well, maybe you could help me understand some of the harder texts." Surely he couldn't complain about a little friendly help....

"Bring it over here and let me have a look," she begged.

"Okay, okay." I handed her the book and heard another pathetic squeak from behind me.

"Very well," I said, and took some of my leftovers to the rat who apparently found enough energy to get to its feet when presented with food.

"You better be gone when the staff come around. though."

It stopped eating long enough to give me a reproachful glare.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," I told it and headed back over to Seraphina who was already nose deep in the book and making little comments to herself.

I had to smile. It was good to see her getting back to normal.

 

'Have news. Meet up at your crossroads.'

I looked at the letters that had formed in the remnants of my meal. Broadway and I had corresponded over the last week, a bit, enough to know that he was working on the situation back at the Facility. The medium was a bit too limited to allow proper communication, though. I glanced at Seraphina, trying to gauge her expression. Trying to gauge whether or not she had seen.

She looked back at me with a degree of defiance. “Meeting up with Broadway sounds like a good idea. We can do it on the way back to the Facility.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“I don’t care. I am not going to let them, or you, keep me away from my life there. My work. My friends.” Her voice contained an edge that had been there more and more the last few days.

It cut me to the core. I slumped my shoulders. I knew I wasn’t going to win this fight. Despite… everything, she was still determined to go back. I held my hurt to me, though. She had been hurt so much worse. “I’ll take you to meet Broadway, then. I can accompany you to the Facility after that.” I could make sure she was safe at least that long. I couldn’t stay though. If I did, I would be watched, hunted, just for being around her. After this week, I didn’t think she’d want me around, anyway.

No one likes sharing their weaknesses with another. I could see it in her eyes whenever she looked at me.

 

We were about halfway to our meeting point when a horse came trotting up to us. It was a tall, chestnut coloured beast with black and silver barding. I distrusted it on instinct and jumped to the next world. It was still there. Of course it was.

“I am sensing Pattern energies about it, Keri,” Seraphina said. She seemed to be in a much better mood since we’d left the hospital and her enforced convalescence.

I approached it cautiously. It whickered and tossed its head, and I jumped back. There did seem to be a scroll attached to the saddle. I circled around to the side, sprang in, grabbed it, and got out again before it really had time to move.

I hate horses.

The scroll barely cracked as I unfurled it. Definitely good quality, smooth and soft, despite having presumably been exposed to the elements for at least a little while The writing was neat and unsmudged. It read:

'Greetings to my kinswoman, Keridwen A’Court.  
I would like to welcome you to Amber, an informal meeting where, among other things, we can discuss your formal presentation to the court.  
At your very earliest possible convenience,  
King Eric of Amber'

I didn’t need the Princess to read between the lines of that message. I glowered at the horse.

“You needn’t think that I’m dropping everything to go to Amber. And I’m definitely not going to ride you, so you can forget that.”

It whinnied gently, and gave what I swore was I wink.

I huffed, and turned back towards Seraphina. “It’s a message from the king of Amber. He wants a meeting”

“Are you going now then?” she asked with a little concern

“I’ve still got business to do. When that’s finished, I guess we’ll see.” I had to at least get her back to the Facility safely. Maybe Alicia could protect her. Maybe.

 

"Let me bring you up to date," Broadway said. I tried my best not to glower at him. I wasn't too sure how well I was succeeding given the protective arm Siren was draping around him and the daggers in her eyes whenever she looked at me. Oh well.

"Corwin and I successfully grabbed the sergeant and interrogated him. It took time, but he seemed to be one of the cult cell leaders. He was also the person who killed Janek and framed Trelawney."

That was unexpected. Good, but unexpected. "How is Trelawney?"

"Apparently still alive."

That was even better. I didn't know what his resemblance to Benedict meant, but I was willing to bet that he wouldn't have been pleased at Trelawney's death.

Hang on.

My thoughts skidded to a halt.

Trelawney might be related to Benedict. Not necessarily his son. Grandson was equally possible.

I am apparently at least my grandmother reincarnated.

Oh boy. But let's not worry about that now. I was *far* too young for kids. Especially kids substantially older than I am.

Anyway. Whatever. "Good. I take it Corwin killed the prisoner?"

"Not yet," Broadway gave me a conspiratorial smile. "This is where it gets good. Corwin kidnapping someone from Unification would create an incident. So I called in Dara who agreed to take credit for the capture and presented him to the Facility and the Courts as evidence that the Cult is real and is trying to cause a war between the Courts. They're out in the open now and hopefully we can get them."

"Umm...." In a moment of weakness, I wished that the Princess was there to advise me. "Why haven't they been revealed before? I mean, if they're this old... is there something we're missing?"

"Like what? I know you never like to tell anyone anything if you don't have to, but people need to know about the cult."

I couldn't think of a downside. Still seemed wrong to me. Once it's out there, you can't untell people. I pursed my lips. "Maybe," I conceded.

"So Kathry is our star witness for now. Dara had said that Corwin can have him afterwards." He looked over at Seraphina. "It should be safe for you to return, now. They don't have a reason to go after you if ."

Seraphina relaxed visibly. "Really? Do you think so?"

Broadway nodded, smiling, looking pleased with himself. This was all his fault in the first place, I thought, anger bubbling up.

"I need to talk to you now. Alone."

Siren gripped onto his arm and looked like she was going to protest, but Broadway waved her silent, looking a little nervous. "Over here?" He indicated another room.

I entered, waited for him to follow, then closed the door behind him. "What were you thinking?" I hissed.

"What do you mean?"

"Telling Seraphina about the cult. Didn't you realise that she'd try and look into it?"

He started to look offended. "She needed to know."

"No! If you cause her to get hurt again... we're going to have words." I took a breath and calmed down. "No, she didn't. Look, if you going to be a prince, and you don't seem to have much choice right now, unless you're willing to back to square one..."

"What?" he interrupted. "Go back to square one?"

"Get reincarnated again."

"I've got half a dozen ways out."

"Like what?"

His voice was cold. "Why should I tell you?"

Internally, I flinched, but soldiered on. "That's not the point. If you are going to be a prince, you need to know when to tell people things and when not to. Even if you trust them."

"And how should I know that? I'm not going to run everything I say past you first," he practically shouted at me.

What? Where had that come from? I found my voice raising in response. "No. That wouldn't work. You've got to use your judgment."

"I *used* my judgment."

"Use *better* judgment! Look, I don't mind if you chat theory stuff with her. Just don't involve her in politics."

"Everything I *do* is politics!" His voice was raised and angry again.

There didn't seem to be much I could say to that.

"She isn't just a baby you can wrap her in cotton wool!" he yelled at me

"Yes, she is!" I yelled back. I need to keep her safe.

"You can't do that to people! That's not your call!" He paused a second and when he spoke to me again, his voice was lower and cold. "I'm not going to talk to you again until you understand that this is a two way street."

Huh? Pain, cold and low, hit me. I didn't want to lose him as a friend. I just didn't want him to cause Seraphina to get hurt again. And unless he learned from this, he would. "I'll send you anything relevant I learn by bird of desire," I offered up.

He turned to leave the room. "You can if you want to. Just don't expect me to answer." He let the door close behind him with finality.

Tears stung my eyes. I wasn't sure where it had all gone so wrong. I had just wanted to try and make sure... a flashback to the nightmare rocked me... *that* didn't happen again. And I had been so angry. Maybe he'd calm down. I always did after blowing my top.

I tried to ignore that Broadway didn't seem to work that way. He only tended to see situations, things, people in black and white terms. Friend or foe. And once you were in the latter category, it seemed almost impossible to get back.

No one was here to watch me, so I let myself cry for a few minutes, sobs wracking my body, in a way I hadn't let myself go whilst looking after Seraphina. Finally I dried my eyes and left the room.

 

Everyone except Seraphina had gone. Her lips were pressed together, eyes narrowed.

"Is that what you think of me?" she asked thinly.

I looked blank.

“That I am just a child?”

Oh goddess. I felt faint.

“I thought we were friends. How could you think so little of me?”

I felt paralysed. I don’t think little of you, I tried to say. I admire you. I love you. The words tangled with each other and stuck in my throat.

“Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?” I could see tears in her eyes.

I couldn’t think of anything to say, and the world turned to ice as she whirled around and left the room, the world.

She didn’t try to hide her trail so I followed her at a distance, to make sure she got back to the Facility, her home.

She entered the gates and never looked back.

I just stood there for a minute, looking after her. Then I heard a gentle whinny from behind me and jumped a mile.

Bloody horse.

 

I didn’t feel up to going to Amber just yet, so I found the most extravagant hotel nearby that I could find and hired its most expensive room, went up and locked myself in. Thankfully they had a strict no horse policy, and the damned thing didn’t show any ability to follow me up stairs. I then proceeded to cry myself out. It took several hours. Apparently I had a lot of tears stored up. Then I just lay there, feeling numb.

*Keri,* came a familiar voice, though surprisingly hesitant. The Princess’.

I almost stiffened, but mostly felt too numb.

*I’m sorry.*

Okay, now that seemed surprising even in my drained state.

*Gee, thanks. I’m trying to make an apology here.*

Sorry.

A tentative smile. *No problem. I wish… I wish I had told you earlier about what I suspected. Then maybe this would all have been different.*

If wishes were horses… I’d hate wishes too.

*That’s the spirit.*

It doesn’t matter though. They all hate me.

*Hate's a strong word. Though I’ll admit it doesn’t look good. Seraphina’s very capable of holding a grudge. And Broadway…*

Yes, Broadway.

*An apology might help.*

What for? As best I could make out, he was annoyed that I wasn’t sharing things with him. But I have been!

*Yes, well, that didn’t make sense to me either. But if I had to hazard a guess, he was annoyed at you for yelling at him.*

I felt a certain amount of anger beneath the numbness. He deserved it. And if I didn’t confront him about it, he’d just go and do the same thing again.

*I think we have to face up to the fact that he’s likely to do the same thing again, anyway. And, really, there’s no way you can stop him dragging Seraphina in Unification politics. He’s right, being the Prince means that everything he does is politics.*

If you’re trying to cheer me up, you’re failing.

*All I’m saying that a simple apology, sent by bird of desire, might help clear things up.*

You don’t sound any more convinced of it than I am.

*Well it certainly can’t hurt. And I’m all out of better ideas.*

I’ll think about it.

*And I’m sorry. For not being there this week, when you really needed me.*

I felt her pain, the echo of what she’d not said, that she’d been there the whole time, watching, unable to comfort me. I gave her my best attempt at a smile. Sorry for shutting you out.

*Apparently we can both make stupid decisions. Who knew?*

I tried to laugh, but it hurt.

*Now,* her voice took on a mothering tone *You need to get some sleep.*

I didn’t really want to face my dreams at the moment.

*Don’t worry,* she said, *I’m your sister. I’ll hold you and keep you safe.*

Somehow, the knot keeping me awake relaxed when she said that, and I drifted off, almost feeling her fingers stroke my hair. Despite everything, tomorrow was another day.


	25. Chapter 25

I stared the horse in the face.

It stared back.

It whickered and moved its head in my direction.

I flinched. "Okay, you might have won that round, but I'm still not getting on your back."

It tossed its head and gently moved around so that its saddle was facing me instead.

"Not happening. Just, lead on. I'm perfectly capable of following on foot."

I could have sworn that the damned horse sighed before trotting off to the faint sound of Pattern.

"See, how hard was that?" I muttered as I followed.

 

The first thing I noticed as I followed the horse was that it was sunny. Not hot sunny, warm sunny. The kind of sunny that clears the cobwebs from your mind and tries to tell you it isn't all that bad. I wouldn't say that it worked, made the icy block of pain go away, but I noticed it, so I wouldn't say that it didn't work either.

The next thing that I noticed was the fresh smell, a gentle wind that swirled around me and brought the fresh smell of life. I'm a city girl, so, you know, it's not something I go out of my way to find, but I couldn't deny that it was pleasant.

The rest of the package took a little longer to discover. The worlds we traveled through were at peace, a quality I had been finding increasingly rare. I looked around at the lush surrounding of the private dining room I was ensconced in. When I had started feeling like I would appreciate a break, the horse had led me here.

The hotel had been inviting, the rooms prebooked, the beds soft, the food good.

*Not to mention the waiting staff inviting,* the Princess added.

I ignored her.

*Oh, come on. That waitress definitely flirting with us.*

Still ignoring her.

*Ah, never mind. I'm not in the mood anyway.*

Anyway, the point was that whoever had set this up, I assumed Eric, had definitely known what he was doing.

*If we studied the effect around the horse, we might be able to do it ourselves,* the Sorceress said.

I am *not* learning Pattern from a horse.

*It wouldn't be so much learning it from the horse as the person who enchanted it.*

No horse learning. Not happening.

*Very well,* she sighed. *Would you object to me bettering herself through study?*

*Just think,* the Princess wheedled. *Hot baths and good food whenever you wanted.*

Well... My resolve crumbled a little. But it still offended my sense of self to learn something from a horse of all things.

*I think what Keri doesn't know won't hurt her,* the Princess said.

I imagined glowering at her.

*That's Keri for yes, in case you didn't know,* the Princess told the Sorceress.

I forbore to comment,

*It gets a little rowdy in here on occasion, doesn't it?* the Artist commented.

I decided to cut the conversation short. Time for a hot bath followed by bed.

And, hopefully, a dreamless night.

 

Time passed on my epic journey following the horse. On the one hand, this allowed me time to try and push things behind me, to recover my equilibrium before meeting the King of Amber. On the other, it allowed me too much time to brood. I solved this latter problem by upping the pace, not giving myself too much time to think. So I jogged for several hours at a nonstop, groundeating pace.

*Um, Keri...* the Princess said.

Yes?

*I know you're not the biggest fan of horses, but I'm not sure that Eric would appreciate you killing one of his.*

What do you mean killing one? I'm not doing anything to it.

*Look over at it?* I obligingly did. *The foam flecked mouth, the rolling eyes? Those are not good signs.*

I thought horses were supposed to be good at moving quickly. That's why people ride them, isn't it?

*Firstly, we're not precisely normal people. Secondly, a well trained person can run longer than a horse. Or so I was told.*

So I can travel longer and more nimbly on my feet and aren't subject to the whims and frailties of a giant beast. And people think I should use them why?

*It's a lot more dignified turning up riding on a horse. You're not nearly so sweaty.*

Screw dignity. It's not one of my strong points anyway.

*I wasn't going to say anything. Anyway, shall we look for another place to rest?*

Very well...

As I slowed down, a nicely appointed place came into view with the next world shift. The horse managed to combine gratitude with reproachfulness into a single look over its shoulder as it made its way into the palatial stables for what I could only assume was its own pampering. I approached a fairly nonplussed looking doorman who was undoubtedly wondering why someone who be accompanying the horse rather than riding it and probably how someone dressed like me thought that she was worth enough to even approach such a luxuriously appointed hotel.

"Keridwen A'Court," I told him. "You should be expecting me."

He gave me a patronizing little look. "Now, miss, I hear there's a place in town that should be far more to your means." He looked me over again dubiously. "Maybe."

Having been through this a couple of times already, I just sighed. "Just check the registry."

He looked over his list. Then looked at it again and went a funny shade. "Keridwen A'Court?" he asked in a strangled voice.

"That's me," I said wearily.

"If you'll come this way..." He bowed and opened the door for me. As I entered the reception area to the sound of tinkling water, he added "Please forgive my rudeness, miss."

"Already forgotten," I assured him.

Now, to try and find something to distract me whilst that damned horse spent some time recovering.

 

Several days later, and we still hadn't arrived. I wasn't complaining too much, though. We were definitely going the scenic route. I had tried and tested various ways of distracting myself, and the ache had pretty much gone. Mostly, Okay, I may have caught tears in my eyes a few times, but the frequency was definitely going down.

Something that looked like a small brown bird flapped down towards me, a note tied to its foot. I let it land on my arm and took the note.

 

It read:

'Dear Keri,  
You really must learn to start answering Trump calls. It's very inconvenient to have to rely on such slow methods of contact. Ah well, that wasn't really why I was writing this note. I was hoping you could Trump me so that we could discuss how your lessons are going. And preferably organise a meeting. I look forward to hearing all about your progression.  
Your teacher,  
Brand.'

I sighed. Admittedly, I had been looking halfheartedly at the book during our more frequent than necessary rest stops, but the concentration to even just take in much of what the Sorceress had been telling had been eluding me. Still, I was sure that the Sorceress could satisfy him. She and Seraphina...

Seraphina.

I pushed the ache away.

Anyway, as far as I was aware, she had been plowing through the densely handwritten text, even following the asterisks, arrows and lines that Brand had added when he belatedly wanted to connect one thought with another. I kind of considered the resulting mess something of a map of how Brand's mind worked. But that was pretty much all I had so far taken away from it. The Sorceress hadn't been able to communicate any practical techniques to me so far, but then I somewhat uncharitably thought that practicality didn't seem to be one of Brand's priorities.

I sighed, retrieved Brand's Trump and concentrated on it.

Brand's image swam into view.

"Hi Keri! I see you got my message." He was talking as quickly as ever.

"Hi Brand," I said with somewhat less energy. A thought occurred. "How is it that, whenever I trump you, it always seems to be a good time?" And not, say, when he was on the toilet or asleep or eating or whatever.

"I'm just naturally blessed?" He laughed. "No, it's quite simple. I assume that you'll trump me when you get the message, so I attach a rider to my bird of desire that it only reaches you when it's convenient for both of us."

Huh. Practical advice from Brand. Would wonders never cease?

"Anyway, we must really work on that problem you have with accepting Trump calls." I opened to my mouth to protest that it seemed a perfectly sensible thing to be worried about, but he continued right over me. "I mean, how many people have your Trump? And attacking people over Trumps is very gauche. The family generally frown on it. And you don't want to get a reputation amongst the family for rudeness. Unless you're Benedict. He's kind of a special case. Or Julian, I guess. Though mainly he just doesn't care. But apart from them, you should be safe. More or less." His brow furrowed. "And, speaking of problems, is that a horse behind you?"

"Yes," I grumbled. "An unappreciated gift from Eric."

"Oh, he's finally gotten around to summoning you." Brand paused, then broke out in a smile. "And you're telling me as an insurance policy. After all, if you're not officially announced to the family, you can disappear without too many questions. Oh, well done. You really are becoming a member of the family."

The Princess was stunned. *I would... never have expected that off him.* She recovered quickly. *It's a good idea, though. I'd suggest sending a similar message to Llewella. And maybe to Flora too. They seemed fond of you.*

Only because Flora thinks I may be related to her dead daughter, and Llewella thinks I'm a reincarnation of her dead friend.

*Friend. That's a good one.*

Anyway, do we really need to encourage them? I was feeling a little commitment shy these days.

*You can never have too much insurance.*

I guess.

"What can I say?" I asked Brand.

"So, about what you've learned from my books... I hope you've found them useful. I do so hate dry texts. I think that I've managed to add a little something special to my notebooks. Made them more human. More accessible."

Certainly more something, I though. I believe this is your dance, I thought at the Sorceress.

*I'd be delighted to take this number for you,* she replied and took position up front.

She was quickly involved in back and forth with Brand. I lost focus, not able to keep up with the terms and technicalities.

Until Brand looked thoughtful and said "You know, I've never thought of it that way. You're right, the vibrations in the Pattern can't be all traced to the Logrus. And that *would* seem to indicate the presence of another power."

Wait, what?

"Hmm..." he continued. "And if it interacts with the Pattern, that suggests that either the Pattern may interact with it in turn, or it may be a more fundamental force. Either way, I can see experiments that suggest themselves..."

What have you done? I asked the Sorceress. The last thing we need is Brand mucking around with that power.

*Sorry,* apologised the Sorceress. *It seemed like a logical extrapolation of his ideas. I didn't think...*

*We can sort out blame later,* the Princess interjected. *Damage control now.*

How?

*Listen to what Brand's saying now?* she hissed.

"Of course, the first thing I should do is to examine the Logrus, so I can iron out it's influences, and possibly get a different view on third influence."

Oh dear goddess. I imagine that the Church of the Serpent would be less than thrilled at the thought of a prince of Amber sniffing around their holy. The impression I had gotten from Hugh was that Bances was a little less than flexible.

*To say the least,* the Princess said.

I needed to distract him, quickly. "You should go to the Facility," I told him. "There are researchers there. The Facility is supposed to be neutral, too. You'll have" a smaller chance of causing a war "a better chance of finding someone who'll be willing to talk there."

He frowned, considering.

"I know someone there who'd be interested in speaking with you," I rushed onwards. "A staff member called Seraphina." I wasn't sure whether or not her areas of interest coincided, but I hope that she'd be able to sidetrack him for a bit at the least. She had certainly seemed interested in some of the contents of Brand's notebook. "I'll just write you a letter of introduction..."

I rummaged inside my backpack for some paper and a pen. I wrote her name down, then stared at the paper for a bit, hurting all over again. What could I say to get Seraphina to talk to Brand? Why would she even listen to me? I tore the piece of paper into pieces and scattered them.

"On second thoughts, possibly best not." I smiled at Brand painfully. "Facility politics. You understand. Still, I think she's your best bet. She's an initiate of the Logrus, and has studied it."

"Seraphina, you say," Brand said. "Thanks! I'll try and catch up with her. So, to continue our conversation..."

"Sorry," I apologised. "I've got to carry on my way to the King. You understand..."

Brand sighed in response. "Only too well, unfortunately. Still, we shouldn't let that get in the way of your studies. Here let me set you some more assignments....*

As I noted them down, the Sorceress said *I'm very sorry. I just got caught up in the theory. I don't get that many chances to interact with someone on that level. Even Seraphina isn't the same, being a Logrus initiate. Too much of how we perceive the universe is different.*

I sighed internally. I guess that we've all made mistakes recently. The important thing is that we learn from them and move on.

*Assuming that Brand doesn't manage to destroy the universe.*

Princess!

*Oh, very well.* She paused a second then added. *You're being awfully mature, all of sudden. Where did that come from?*

Um... I shifted embarrassedly. I remembered it from one of the books you were reading.

*Oh,* the Princess said. *Oh! One of those books!* She smiled wickedly at me. *I didn't know that you were paying attention. What do you think?* She started to describe one of the scenes.

My cheeks flamed. .

Stop that!

The Princess collapsed into giggles. Luckily, this did seem to stop her recital

Luckily Brand either didn't notice or didn't comment on my loss of composure and finished off his instructions.

"Now try those exercises and I'm sure we'll have another very interesting conversation next time."

*Hopefully not quite so interesting,* the Princess said sotte voce.

*I said I'm sorry!* the Sorceress said.

Children, children, I thought, having fun being the adult for once.

The Princess rolled her eyes and the Sorceress decided to take the opportunity to retreat.

I looked at the horse. "So, how much of that did you catch?" I asked it.

It huffed in response.

"Anyway, rest time is over. Back to the journey."

The horse managed to give me a pathetic look but kept up with me as I started jogging once again.

 

The salty breeze ruffled my hair as I stared out at the harbour and beyond it to the ocean. I glanced to my left. “I guess this is where we part company.”

The horse whuffled.

“I imagine you’ll be going back to wherever Eric keeps you when you’re not out doing his business. Probably with all the oats, apple and whatever that you want.”

It managed to look vaguely dreamy.

*That’s not dreamy,* the Princess said. *Well, not in the way you’re thinking of. Look beneath it.*

Oh.

*Apparently Eric’s favourite horse ain’t a gelding.*

Yes, thank you. That’s become very, very abundantly clear.

“Anyway,” I said, clearing my throat. “I’d best be off.” I shot the great beast a grin. “Try not to put on too much weight without me to help burn it off.”

If looks could kill, I would have been an ex-Keri. Actually, I was fairly certain that some people’s looks could kill, but the horse’s apparently couldn’t.

As I left I waved and went to find a ship for Amber. Eric’s message said that any ship heading there would take his seal as a guarantee for payment.

 

We had cast off from port a few hours ago. I had spent much of that time prowling around ship, taking stock of my surroundings. It wasn't that hard, the ship wasn't that big.I liked sea travel. I decided I quite liked sea travel. The constantly shifting deck made moving around just that little bit more interesting.

At the moment I was standing on the deck, sea spray misting down my back, gazing at the rigging before me. It looked fun.

*I'm not entirely certain that the captain of the ship would agree with your assessment,* the Princess said.

Eh. He hadn't told me *not* to do it. And, besides, it's probably good practice, y'know, if.

*If.* The Princess definitely had a talent for investing a single syllable with meaning.

I had a quick look around the deck. The captain was nowhere to be seen. A good time as any to grasp the opportunity before me.

The name of the game was Hot Lava. I had to get from one side of the ship to the other as quickly as I could without touching the deck. The safe (and boring) way would be grab hold of the rigging, climb up and across.

Naturally, I did no such thing. I jumped for an overhead rope, then swung and used my momentum to launch myself at another rope.

*Keri!* screeched the Princess as I misjudged the swell of the ship a little and found myself plummeting towards the ocean.

I grabbed another rope stretched near the edge and swung around. See, no problem, I told her smugly as I corrected my course towards my intended destination. I was so focused on the ropes and movement of the ship that I didn't see the large muscled figure waiting for me there until I had arrived.

"What the blazing hells do you think you're doing?"

I jumped a little and looked up at the angry red face.

"Um... practicing?"

"Well, we don't get paid for not delivering you, so you can go 'practice' below decks. And if I catch you up here again without permission, you can 'practice' being locked in the brig."

*See what you've done. I told you so.*

I sighed as I was manhandled down the staircase. Maybe sea travel wasn't going to be all what it cracked up to be.

 

By the time we arrived in Amber, some tactical wheedling by the Princess and good behaviour from me had restored my above decks privileges. So I saw the golden city as we sailed into it.

My first thought was that they weren't kidding about the golden part. Not the metal, but large parts of the city were constructed from what looked like a yellowish stone that glittered a little in the bright sunlight coming from the impossibly blue sky. The mountain that towered up from behind the city was the same yellowish tone and even from this distance I could just about see the castle half way up, overlooking the city like a lord looking down on his court.

I was overcome with a tremendous feeling of deja vu all of a sudden that left me quite dizzy. I could feel my sisters all experience the same thing. We knew this place. We had been here before.

But that was impossible. At least for me. I hadn't been here before. I couldn't have been. I must just be getting some bleed over from the others.

I closed my eyes and concentrated until the feeling went away.

*It feels like home,* the Sorceress breathed.

It did. And that worried me.

 

"There's a message here for you, Ma'am," the guard's respectful voice made a definite change from what I was used to. He went inside the customs building and exited a few minutes later holding a tightly rolled scroll sealed with the king's insignia, obviously the source of the guard's deference. I broke the seal and read the message. In it, Eric welcomed me to Amber and suggested either hiring a carriage at the castle's expense or taking a few hours to walk around the city and get to see it a little first. Either way, presenting this scroll to the guards at the castle would get me inside with an appointment to see him.

I waved the guard goodbye as I made my way into the city. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to look at the jewel at the centre of the universe. Besides, getting to know the lay of the land never hurt, and who knew when I'd need to take to the rooftops?

 

The main thoroughfare up into the city proper was obviously placed to garner the maximum amount of attention. I decided to avoid it, at least for the moment. After all, that would be the absolutely the worst place to evade unwelcome attention. Once I’d left the thin façade of shops and inns that lined the road, I quickly found myself in what must be the lower class part of town. I’d seen a lot worse on some of my travels. Goddess, in some places, the middle classes would live in places like this. But the underfed faces, narrow streets, suspicious glances… apparently the streets of Amber are only lined with gold if you have enough money or connections to get a bit further up the hill.

I stumbled for a moment, dizzy, as a fragment of memory surfaced.

_A building on fire, at night. No screams, no one left alive inside to scream._

I managed to catch myself before I’d done more than drop to a knee, but that was enough to attract attention. A group of hard looking men had ceased talking to each other and started sauntering in my direction.

*They sense weakness,* the Assassin said as she took control of my body and I felt it change posture and my expression change fractionally. I’m not quite sure what I looked like, but apparently it was enough for the gang to glance at other and decide to go back to talking to each other.

*We should be out of here by nightfall,* the Assassin said. *Unless you are willing to fight.*

Fighting wasn’t exactly my thing, and this place looked like a maze that changed on a not infrequent basis. I decided that I could probably better spend my time elsewhere in the city.

 

The main body of the city was on the slope before the mountain proper. Once I had left the areas near the harbour, stone houses became more and more common. I stumbled across the trade district almost by accident, filled with shops and what I imagined were the better class of craftsman. I spent a happy hour or so there, looking at trinkets I was fairly sure were for the tourists, but were oh so pretty.

*No clothes though,* the Assassin commented sadly.

*I suspect that in order to get to see the people who make the good clothing, we’ll need introductions,* the Princess speculated. *Maybe Flora can arrange something for us.*

*Maybe we can kill someone for her.*

Maybe we can’t. If need be, we can do her a favour which doesn’t involve killing.

*As long as we get pretty clothes.*

I’ll work on it. It did have to be said that, though I wasn’t obsessed with clothing like the Assassin, I did have a certain amount of curiosity about what the apparently legendary craftsmen of Amber could do with clothing.

 

_Blood dripping from a wound as I stumbled across the threshold_

_A floral scent in darkness as I felt a woman’s hands gently cover my eyes._

_A candle in the window, a solitary message._

_Gently waking from sleep to smell breakfast cooking._

I leaned against the side of a building, recovering. That had been the worst episode yet. So many memory fragments, and all set off by just the sight of a street name. I thought that someone had had a home down there. Not me, though. Not me.

*This is freaky,* the Princess said.

You’re telling me. But maybe it’s just as well we’re getting this out of the way now. I don’t want to have this happen when, say, I was running for my life.

*Do you really believe that?*

It’s what I’m trying to tell myself.

*What do you... what do you think the castle is going to be like?*

My stomach clenched and I felt like I was going to throw up. I don't know.

*Too late to back out now,* the Princess said, doing her best attempt at cheery.

Too late by far. Something told me Eric wouldn't be amused if I disappeared without seeing him first.

"Letter for you, miss," piped up a highpitched voice from behind me.

I nearly jumped a mile.

A grubby face greeted me when I turned around complete with hand thrusting a letter into my face.

I took the letter and turned it over, looking at it. No name. The envelope was good quality paper, albeit with dirty smudges from handling.

The boy had his hand still outstretched.

*I think he wants a tip,* the Princess said.

I fumbled in a pocket and tried to summon a coin with Pattern. It felt like trying to pull a coin free from concrete. It wasn't happening.

*I think you actually have some money from the last port,* the Princess helpfully reminded me.

Oh, yes. I fumbled through a couple of pouches of random stuff before finding the right one.

"Here you are," I placed a few small coins in his hand.

"Thanks, miss!" he said before dodging off.

I opened it up.

'Welcome back.  
I look forward to continuing our game'

Naturally, no name. Great. Yet another person who thought I was some dead chick. And this one didn't seem as friendly as the others.

 

I stood at the entrance to the castle. It was... imposing. I was more than a little tense, waiting for a deluge of the fragments that had been afflicting me ever since I'd arrived in Amber.

Nothing.

I released my breath. I wasn't sure why I wasn't getting anything, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

As I approached them, the guards, big competent looking guys, eyed me. I had to admit, I probably didn't look like their usual type of visitor. One, who looked like I'd always imagined a Viking to be, casually moved in front of me, blocking my path.

"Ma'am?" he rumbled politely.

I retrieved the letter with the king's seal. "My name is Keridwen A'Court. I was told that I was expected."

"Private?" the Viking asked the other soldier, examining the seal I was brandishing.

The other guard went into a niche then popped his head out. "There's a Keridwen A'Court down here. She's marked as a vip, to go straight to the King's waiting chambers." He then gave me a quick salute.

The blond giant stiffened and gave me a salute. "Sorry, ma'am. I wasn't aware of your circumstances."

"Um... no problem."

"I'll escort you to the waiting chamber now."

"Thanks!" I flashed him a smile.

 

"The King will see you now," came a soft voice.

I jolted awake. I wasn't too sure how long it had been, but a warm creamy chocolatey drink, the hypnotic flames of a fire and extremely comfortable chair had combined to lull me into a happy semi doze.

The maid lowered her eyes but not before I saw a hint of scorn. Apparently she didn't think that a grubby, ragged teenager was a fit visitor. I couldn't say that I actually disagreed with her, but, after all, the king had asked me here.

"You think I should have at least had a bath and worn some decent clothing?" I asked her with a smile.

She blushed furiously.

I made a face. "I guess we'll find out if the King thinks that too."

"Um... I..."

"I'm Keri, by the way." I stuck my hand out, and she took it, seemingly automatically. "What's yours?"

"Uh... Carmen."

"Don't worry too much about me, though. Apparently I'm family."

She dropped my hand like it had burnt her. "S-Sorry, your highness," she stammered.

"Don't think anything of it, Please, lead on."

I don't think I've seen anyone scuttle out of a room that gratefully.

*That was cruel.*

Maybe. But fun. And can it really hurt getting to know some people here I'm not related to?

*She's cute too.*

I am *not* having this discussion.

And then we were at Eric's door.

 

Eric was a tall man. Dark hair, large hands. He gave off an aura of power, of authority. If you'd dressed him in rags and stuck him in the middle of a slum, he'd still give the impression that he was a king.

_A man who looked like Eric, dressed in green and white, talking to Benedict_

*I've got you,* whispered the Princess, neatly stopping me from swaying.

Eric rose from his chair and stepped towards me, smiling. If he thought anything at all about my attire or general state, you couldn't see it in his eyes as he extended a hand towards me and greeted me warmly.

"Keri! I'm pleased to meet you at last." The sincerity of his words either said something about his acting skills or the rest of the family. Or possibly both.

"Your majesty," I replied, curtsying. Miss Pym's lessons had apparently not been completely wasted.

"Please, call me Eric." His teeth glinted. "We're family, after all."

He put me at my ease almost immediately.

*He's good,* the Princess said. And possibly was taking notes.

*Hey, a girl should always have an eye out for self improvement.*

"Thank you, Eric."

"Please, sit down." He indicated a plush chair opposite his. "Before we get to business, is there anything I can get you?"

"Uh, no, thank you."

"To business, then?" He sat down with a smooth economy of movement. I couldn't help notice that his sword belt hung off his chair, the blade within easy reach. Either habit, or family discussions could get really interesting.

"I asked you here for a somewhat unusual reason. I recently received a letter about you. From my father."

I was a little confused. "Didn't your father die about 80 or so years ago?"

"Apparently that hasn't stopped him. Or at least stopped his prearranged messages." He grimaced. "Trust me when I say this was somewhat unexpected."

"Did it mention me by name?" For some reason, the idea of the previous king leaving instructions regarding me failed to fill me with joy.

"No, but I'm certain that it does refer to you. The letter detailed a Court position that you will receive, assuming of course that you swear allegiance to me. I've done a little digging around about you myself, and found that you've also inherited lands and retainers."

"Inherited?"

"From your grandmother. A woman named Juliet, Princess Flora's daughter."

"Oh." Great.

*I'm sure that I can help you manage them.*

If I accept.

*If you accept. But you're going to, aren't you? This *is* home. And I think we both knew that Eric would want you to swear allegiance to him when he summoned you.*

I felt like I was being backed into a corner. I hadn't decided whether or not to accept, though. I still haven't.

"You are heir to a Free Duchy in the Golden Circle. I'll get someone to show you the details later."

"The position?" I asked.

"Are you familiar with the concept of reincarnation?"

I froze. "I've heard of it. I seem to remember that they believe in it in Unification. I'm not sure about Amber?"

"It's not a common belief. But apparently you're someone's reincarnation."

"Whose?" I had some ideas, based on other people's theories.

"There are two possibilities," he said. "I think one is less likely than the other."

*What's he so nervous about?* asked the Princess.

Huh? He seemed calm to me.

*From what I've seen so far, this is him practically gibbering on the floor.*

"One is Oberon."

*What?*

What?

"I think that that is the less likely option."

*I imagine he really hopes so. I wonder what the law is states about the reincarnation of a ruling monarch?*

He had been studying me for a reaction when he said that, and relaxed a little at whatever he saw.

"One of my dead sisters, Sand, would seem to be the other option. In my opinion, the far more likely one."

"Um, what's the position?"

*Please say queen, please say queen.*

Please don't say queen.

"The formal title is The Left Hand of the Throne. It's official duties are assassin, spymistress. troubleshooter. To do whatever is necessary to maintain the kingdom of Amber."

"What?" I squeaked. Assassin? Spymistress? "I'm only sixteen!"

*Why would that stop us from fulfilling those duties?* the Assassin asked with a certain degree of puzzlement.

*Firstly, Keri's not a killer, even if you are. Secondly, spymistress and troubleshooter suggest that a certain amount of judgment and decision making.* the Princess said. Then she snapped "Assassin! What are you?*

*A weapon!* she barked back. The Assassin paused, then added more quietly *And a weapon doesn't decide, it only kills.*

*Exactly.*

*Am I just a weapon?* the Assassin asked.

No. Not any more, I replied, before the Princess had a chance to.

*Then what am I?* she asked, desolate.

I guess you'll have to decide that.

I focused back outside myself to find Eric waiting for me. "I've no idea how to do any of that," I told him.

"That's not strictly true, according to the Facility records. But I wasn't expecting you to take up those duties just yet. We already have an intelligencer, in any case."

"That's good," I said with a certain amount of relief.

"The title will still be yours, though. The instructions are quite clear. I'll see what I can do to arrange some training, if you'd like."

"I'll think about it, if you don't mind."

"Be my guest. I would ask that you keep this offer and the title secret, regardless of whether or not you accept." And suddenly he was the deadly serious ruler again.

I swallowed. "Of course."

"Good, good. Now, there's also the matter of you swearing fealty to me. Normally, you'd have to do that before walking the Pattern, but that's only a formality for you, isn't it?"

I didn't want to go into whether or not I'd walked the Pattern. The discussions it might lead to scared me. "I apologise if I didn't swear before walking the Pattern. I wasn't told it was necessary."

He looked long at me. "You haven't walked the Pattern. At least not whilst I've been King."

"Really?" I asked him.

"Really," he replied. He seemed very certain. He didn't elaborate further. "I've instituted another, optional, oath as well. You can promise not to seriously harm anyone else who has sworn this oath. A kind of mutual non-aggression oath."

"Is such an oath really necessary?" What kind of family was this?

He laughed long and loud. "Oh, yes. Before that we were having entirely too many problems with self inflicted wounds. Now, with my father's death and the war, we can no longer afford such quarrels."

"I'm definitely interested in that oath," I said with the utmost sincerity. Anything that means less people trying to kill me can only be a good thing.

*I can see some downsides...* the Princess said dubiously.

We'll talk about them later.

"But I think I want to consider the oath of allegiance a little longer, if you don't mind." I gestured vaguely in the air. "Your revelations have thrown me for six a little."

"I understand. I hate to ask you this, but can I trust you around the castle?"

"I give you my word that I don't mean any harm to Amber, nor to anyone in it."

He turned serious. "I accept your oath," he said formally, before going back to cheerful. "If you want to meet the rest of your family, some are in residence. Fiona, Flora and Gerard are, I believe, present in Amber Fiona, in particular, would like to see you. Apparently she has heard all about you from Brand."

Oh, great.

"Caine is in the castle, but isn't accepting visitors. He was greviously injured during the war and has yet to recover. Llewella is nearby, in Rebma."

I looked blank.

"Rebma is the sister city to Amber, beneath the waves. Ask around at the harbour for directions if you wish to visit."

"Thanks," I said, a little overwhelmed.

"There are two of my siblings I should warn you about. Julian resides in Arden, the forest that surrounds Amber by land. He is dangerous, and not fond of many of his relatives. Deirdre is out in shadow with her maenads. She is... unstable and violent. You would do best to avoid her."

Wonderful.

"Enough. Doubtless you are tired after your journeys. Your rooms are being prepared as we speak. Please, send a message when you have decided about whether or not you wish to claim your birthright."

 

We shook hands, and I left, with even more questions than when I had entered.


	26. Chapter 26

"This is the guest wing, your Grace," Carmen said as we passed yet another pair of guards. Apparently, she'd been filled in on the proper etiquette whilst I had been meeting Eric. The walls were lined with tapestries that seemed to be filled with tales of Amber's victories and great wealth. Subtle. "You'll be staying in the Diamond Suite." I guess that sounded nice. If hard. "It is the best of the suites, saved for the most honoured of guests," she rushed to assure me. "If there's anything you need to make your stay here more pleasant, you have only to let the staff know. You can have meals delivered to your rooms, small banquets, even, should you have guests. Scribes from the castle scriptorum, if you wish." She paused a second, biting her lip, then blurted out "Tailors and dressmakers, too." She blushed deeply and looked like she wished that she could sink into the floor.

*Pretty clothes?* the Assassin asked hopefully. *Shoes to match?*

I'm sure that the castle can arrange a cobbler as well.

*Aren't you going to take pity on the poor woman?* the Princess asked. Judging from her expression, Carmen had taken my momentary silence in the worst possible way, and was possibly contemplating fleeing Amber for a better life elsewhere.

"Thanks," I offered. Carmen relaxed a little, though still blushing furiously. "Are there any in particular you'd recommend? As a newcomer here..." I shrugged helplessly.

"I'll ask around," she replied quickly, relaxing a bit further.

My eye was caught by a slight, vaguely familiar looking, red headed woman heading down the corridor the opposite direction to us. She walked with a natural arrogance that proclaimed far louder than her fine clothing that she was someone important. Or at least someone who thought she was.

*Danger* the Assassin said. *She's far too focused on us.*

She wasn't staring at me, so far as I could tell. Maybe a casual look or two, but nothing more.

*Too casual,* the Assassin muttered.

*Nonsense,* the Princess said a little huffily.

Personally, I suspected that the Princess's answer was coloured more than a little by the fact that she couldn't abide the thought that the Assassin might have spotted something in the social arena before she did. I managed to keep that opinion very quiet, though.

As the woman approached us, she stopped and seemed to give me a proper look. "Excuse me," she asked in a musical chime like voice. "Would you be Keridwen A'Court?"

At the woman's words, Carmen stopped and curtsied. "Princess Fiona," she said.

Oh.

I knew that voice. I had first heard when I was twelve and a half. This was the voice that had said 'This is the way the world ends.'

Crap.

For a second, I almost expected to hear that noise again, to feel the walls of reality crumble around me. Nothing happened. Reality felt reassuringly solid. That isn't what she's saying. This time.

Fiona nodded in acknowledgement to Carmen and then looked back at me, one eyebrow raised.

*She just asked you if you were Keri,* the Princess hissed.

"Um, yes," I replied intelligently. I stuck out a hand, feeling chunky and awkward in comparison to her doll like frame.

She shook my hand and smiled. "As I'm sure you just heard, I'm Princess Fiona. Welcome to the family. I've heard *so* much about you from Brand."

Oh joy.

 

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Fiona asked solicitously. "You look like you've had barely a chance to sit down since arriving."

Fiona had dismissed Carmen before taking me to the Diamond Suite herself, nodding to the guards posted outside, who had saluted but remained otherwise firmly silent.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't taken advantage of the offer of food whilst waiting for Eric.

"Yes, please." I smiled at her. "Would you mind suggesting something? Obviously I'm not exactly familiar with the local cuisine." Given what I'd eaten in the past, I wasn't exactly squeamish about trying new things out.

"Some herbal tea for refreshment, I think, and a platter of different foods so you have a chance to discover what you like," Fiona decided. She used a bellpull to summon a servant (not Carmen - a dapper looking man in far finer servant's clothes than she had been wearing) and placed the order. The man bowed deeply and left, returning a few minutes later with a steaming kettle and a selection of herbs. Fiona sorted through the container, adding a dabs of this and that before leaving it to steep and turning her attention back to me.

"How do you like being addressed?"

"Keri."

"Keri," she tried out the name, seeming to find it to her pleasing. "That is what Brand called you when we talked, but I didn't want to take his word for it. He can be a little..." she looked at me closely before adding "Oblivious at times. Socially, I mean." Her smile invited me to join in.

I felt a little awkward. Brand had done his best to help me, but... I had to admit she had a point. "Sorry, I can't really comment," I replied, deciding that there could be no good answer when dealing with sibling politics.

"Oh?" she asked.

"Well, it's just that he is my mentor, and I don't really want to talk about him behind his back."

"I can tell that you're new to the family," she replied wryly. "Sometimes we seem to do little else apart from gossip about each other."

I shrugged and offered her my best smile.

"In any case, Brand has told me so little about you and where you came from."

The food arrived, born by an almost invisible servant. We paused a few minutes whilst Fiona pointed out some choice fare.

"I'm surprised that you haven't already read the file," I said returning to the subject. "Everyone else already seems to have done."

"File?"

"I went to the Facility. I kind of assumed that my background was public knowledge by now."

"Apparently not public enough, alas. If you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd love to know."

"I was raised in a high tech world by my parents. Things invaded when I was twelve. Possessed people, including my parents. Almost everyone who wasn't possessed died anyway."

"Oh, Keri," she said, concern filling her voice. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "It happened. I survived. Got picked up by the Facility just over a year ago. Kind of a job lot, really. They were actually after someone else, and just happened across me on the way."

"Ouch. That must have hurt your pride."

"Not really. These things happen. I was trained by them, graduated early."

"Now that I *had* heard about. Well done. Not many of our family have demonstrated some of those tricks, and so young... If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"Seventeen, more or less."

"That must have irritated Brand," she said, smiling. "Up until now, he held the record for walking the Pattern at the youngest age, and he was nineteen." I smiled in response. I *could* imagine him being a little miffed about that. "When did you actually walk it, by the way?" she asked casually.

Uh...

"I'm not exactly sure," I replied. "I have holes in my memory around that event."

_The ground shook again. Fiona's face, lit only by flickering silver light, was desperate. "We must protect the Pattern," she said. "If it falls, so does everything."_

Fiona was just looking at me, measuring me with her green eyes, not saying anything.

I panicked a little. I couldn't let anyone know... "I can't tell you who initiated me," I gabbled. "If they haven't told you already, there's probably a reason."

"I see," she said thoughtfully. "If you're not careful, Keri, you might get a reputation around here as someone who can be confided in."

"Surely that's a good thing."

"In a functional family, I'm sure it would be. But I'm sure in a functional family, Father wouldn't have let Brand rush out into shadow far before he was ready." A touch of heat entered her voice. Apparently the matter wasn't completely dead centuries after the fact. And the person in question had been deceased himself for almost a century. "Still, he did manage to give Brand pause for a while after that unauthorised trip down to the basement, a feat I have yet to see repeated. Somehow, he managed to get my dear brother to do nothing but swordsplay and secretarial duty, both activities he holds in open contempt, for several weeks thereafter." She looked past me for a second. "It would be useful at times to know how he did it," she said, seemingly mostly to herself.

"I can imagine," I had to say.

She smiled as if sharing a secret. "You have no idea. Brand has managed to destroy more rooms than anyone else in the family, including Gerard on his drunken binges. When he was younger. many was the day when I used to see him at breakfast... different than the day before. A different colour. Different features. He was so self prepossesed that he managed to carry off the act that nothing was wrong half the time. One time he managed to scramble his ability to talk, and kept on using the wrong words. That was the day that Julian was consulting about something or other. Apparently Julian never realised anything was wrong," she said wryly.

I laughed, but then immediately felt guilty. Brand had been nothing but kind to me. "I don't suppose we could change the subject? Brand is my tutor."

"I can just imagine what kind of tutor too. Has he taught you any of the basics yet?"

"He's taught me how to hide my tracks."

"Surprisingly practical of him. Anything else?"

"Mostly theory," I confessed.

"And you can keep up with him?" a note of surprise entering her voice.

"Um... kind of."

"Whilst you are here, would you like me to fill in some more practical lessons for you?" Apparently she had less qualms about teaching someone whose family status wasn't precisely certain.

"Practical's good," I admitted, feeling even more guilty, like I was betraying.Brand.

"Then it's agreed," she said decisively "Let me know when you have some time for lessons."

Uh, great? I felt more than a little steamrollered, but Fiona had already moved on.

"Now that we've sat down for a while, how would you like to see some of the sights of the castle?"

"If you wouldn't mind. The stories I heard about the magical gold-lined Castle of Amber did rather manage to catch my interest. Do you have a blood thirsty figure that roams the halls at night taking heads?"

"No, neither Deirdre nor Julian are in residence at the moment." She seemed to be only half joking.

"Everyone does keep on warning me about them."

"For good reason," she said, suddenly serious. "It's not much of a family secret that Julian was given wardenship of Arden to keep him out of Amber and off somewhere where his... proclivities might at least serve to protect Amber. And no one would trust Deirdre even that much. But they *are* family."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that, as long as they know that fact, they won't kill you out of hand."

"Uh... great?"

"Anyway, let's go see the castle. The first stop should undoubtedly be the nearest we have to a family meeting area, the library."

"The library?" Weren't you generally supposed to be quiet in libraries?

"Oh, it's not just a library."

 

It's true. The was the first library I had been in that had a wet bar. Which I was probably too young for, anyway.

"We have books on almost everything. I don't know how much of a bookworm you are, but personally I have spent many enjoyable and profitable hours here."

"I'm sure I'll find much of interest here," I said a little non-commitally. On the bright side, no creepy giant humanoid spiders here.

Fiona pointed out a glass case. "That's where we keep the spare family trump decks. I'd suggest not trying to get into it until the King gives the go ahead. He can be quite testy about such things."

"Tell me about it," the male voice came from deeper within the shelves.

"Martin?" Fiona asked.

"None other," he said, coming into view. He was a sandy haired man who looked a little older than me.

"Law section?" she asked, a note of amusement entering her voice.

Martin bristled a little. "There must one of those laws that Eric prizes so greatly that would allow me to walk the Pattern. I don't want to have to wait another two years to claim my birthright."

"I'm sure your twenty first birthday will come quickly enough."

"Feh. It's alright for you..." He seemed to focus on me for the first time. "Who's the new meat?"

Fiona rolled her eyes. "*She* is called Keridwen A'Court, and she is one of your cousins. I was showing her around the castle." She looked towards me. "*This* graceless lout is Martin, Random's son. Trust me, he gets all his charm from his father."

"Hey!" Martin objected, but had the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry about that." He stuck his hand out. "Pleased to meet the latest addition to the family tree. Whose are you?"

I blinked for a second before parsing it. "If only I knew. Neither of my parents ever mentioned Amber, and they're dead now. I haven't recognised any of the names from the family, so no clue there."

"Hey, maybe we should go to the portrait gallery, see if she recognises any faces," Martin said, effortlessly adding himself to our little tour group.

"Thank you, Martin," Fiona said, with possibly a trace of gritted teeth. "Maybe we should go there next."

 

The portrait gallery (the proper *family* portrait gallery as Fiona was quick to assure me, not the one that just catered to the egos of whichever nobles were important at the moment) made my eyes hurt. The various images of the royals were organised by birth order, and connected by flowing lines to a picture of their mother. Oberon’s portrait, still at the top of the wall, glowered down over all his children, as if daring them from beyond the grave to take a false step in his sight. There were a few images of Oberon’s grandchildren – Juliet, Flora’s daughter, caught my eye immediately.

And then, superimposed over this wall, was another one, a shadowy one. The pictures from the first wall appeared here too, though sometimes in different places. Benedict, for instance, wasn’t Oberon’s son, he was Oberon’s brother. Sand wasn’t Oberon’s child either, but Benedict’s. And then there were the shadowy image that did not have a match in the real wall. Fiona and Brand had a full brother on this wall called Bleys, who just didn’t exist on the real wall.

*Huh. Remember Brand’s slip of the tongue? He talked about Bleys before that whisper of power.*

Yes, I did.

Trying to focus on the shadowy wall was what was making my eyes hurt. I blinked and rubbed them a second. The eerie scratching of power neither pattern nor logrus vibrated through my skull when I started looking at the wall again.

“So, see anyone you recognise?” Martin’s voice was loud, intrusive. I jumped.

“No! Uh, well not anyone I haven’t just met recently.”

“Eric, of course, Brand, myself… anyone else?” Fiona asked.

“Corwin. I met him at the Facility. I think Gerard and Flora were there too, but I didn’t really speak with them.” I decided not to mention Benedict or Llewella.

I concentrated and tried to touch the shadowy picture of Bleys. The sound of other magic grew louder, pounding a beat on the inside of my skull, but I felt nothing.

“Have you heard of Bleys?” I asked Fiona.

“Bleys…” she said questioningly, as though trying out the name on her tongue. “Bleys. I,” Her brow furrowed.

Martin turned around, suddenly paying attention. “Fiona?”

The scratching of other magic crescendoed then died away, and Fiona was left looking blank and Martin bored, disinterested. “Sorry, I don’t remember anyone of that name.”

My head really hurt.

“Can’t you,” I tried to concentrate through the pain. “Can’t you see anything here?” I pointed to the shadowy picture of Bleys. “Any power, anything?”

The hum of her probing magics would have been soothing if not for the flare of other energies. “No. Nothing.” She turned her attention to me. “Keri? What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” I managed. “My head has really started to hurt.”

“Do you mind if I examine you?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

She turned her magics towards me. “I’m not really the family doctor, but there aren’t any sorceries on you. From what I can tell, it looks like you have power exhaustion. Do you have any idea why that might come on so suddenly.”

I felt an sudden spike of fear. I couldn’t let her find out… “No, sorry. I guess it could be the excitement.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Well, maybe. I think the tour is over for the moment. You need some bedrest.”

And very quickly I found myself tucked up in bed with the lights off and a firm injunction not to emerge for several hours. Not that I needed it. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

 

I was walking down the corridors of Castle Amber. I turn left, then right and suddenly I'm in tight, twisting corridors that I do/don't recognise, so unlike the large airy ones I've been conducted through.

I'm dreaming. Lucid dreaming, I guess. First time for everything, I guess.

Servants pass me by, not looking at me, not reacting.

Am I invisible, or are they just conditioned?

I'm in a store room. No one else is around as I pull a catch and a panel in the wall smoothly, silently retracts, leaving a passage. I enter the space, and I'm in a room lit by indeterminate sources, papers and journals lining the walls and half covering the desk. Ancient wards hum, shielding, protecting, concealing.

Is this just a dream or a memory? Here, wrapped in the stillness of the dream I could even contemplate the fact that it might be a past life without terror causing me to flinch from the thought.

As I walk towards the desk, I can see a deck of cards on it. A full deck, I think idly, as I sort through them until Bleys' picture is revealed.

That should mean something, I thought, but I can't think what.

I concentrate on the card. It's hard, takes effort, but slowly I forge a dim connection. The picture is dim, distorted with interference. The colours are clearly unnatural, almost inverted. But it's definitely Bleys.

"Daughter. I had not expected to hear from you." His voice is weird, sometimes slow, sometimes fast.

I waited for the dream to continue, to find out what my dream self had to say. I waited in vain.

"Daughter?"

He was talking to me.

"Um, yes?" To say that I was confused is an understatement.

"Why did you call me? It can't have been easy."

Why would my dream self call him? "Uh, do you want to come through?"

The question seems to take him back for a moment. "Do you guarantee my safe passage?"

"Well, I can't really," I gabbled. "I don't really know what I'm doing. I mean, I can give it my best shot..."

"Good enough," he said and grasps my hand and pulls.

It burned. Every nerve in body felt as though it were alive in agony. And I felt the universe crumble around me.

 

_The Princess stood in a throne room lit only by the fires of war. She was older, haggard, tears of despair coursing down her face. She reached into a card._

_"Come. Please."_

_And the universe crumbled around her._

_The Assassin stood over a red headed body pooled in it's own blood. She panted a little, crimson of her own flowing down one cheek. Finally, it was over._

_Only one thing left to do. She went through the pockets of the body and withdrew a pack of cards. She sorted through them until she found a familiar face. She concentrated._

_She didn't bother saying a word, just reached into the card._

_And the universe crumbled around her._

_The Sorceress was hiding somewhere dark, deep within the Facility. She whimpered softly with fear at every sound._

_She sorted through her pockets, finally finding it, the card._

_She knew it was risky, but she didn't see any other way out._

_She concentrated._

_"Please. I need..."_

_Her words were cut off by a thin blade of metal slicing through her throat. She gagged, choked, but with the last of her strength she managed to reach into the card._

_As the world went dark, the universe crumbled around her._

 

The agony took me deeper, away from my sisters. I could feel it burning all the way through me, cleansing, purifying. I felt it burn through the sorceries that had bound me, since before I had been born, concealing my past through a compulsion of fear and forgetfulness. I felt my past lives open up to me, Juliet, Sand and others, flooding me with foreign images, emotions, the shear weight of years. And finally, I felt my magic, my personal magic, flare protectively around my sanity as darkness consumed me.


	27. Chapter 27

The first thing I noticed as I became conscious was that my mouth was dry. I swallowed. Okay, my throat was dry as well. There was a hard surface underneath my head. I was sitting up, not lying down. This... didn't seem good.

I cautiously opened an eye. Light from a lamp on a wall illuminated the room from my dream. I winced almost immediately. The light was definitely hurting my eyes.

None of this could really be called good. I was still sleepy, but I vaguely remembered this room appearing in a dream. I dismissed the thoughts for the moment, for more practical considerations. From the rumbling of my stomach, not to mention how thirsty I felt, I estimated that I must have been out for the better part of a day. From the headache beginning to make itself seriously known, it felt like I had been using a lot of power.

As I woke up more fully, I recalled all the details of the dream. Crap.

Sisters?

*Urgh. What have you been doing to yourself?* the Princess asked.

Not entirely certain. I'll get back to you on that. Is everyone else here?

*Yes,* said the Assassin.

*I could hardly just leave. I've practically just got here,* came the voice of the Artist.

*Why? Were you expecting us to be not all here?* asked the Sorceress.

I released a breath I hadn't even known I was holding. I buried the memory of cold steel tracing a line on my throat as far deeply as I could. I just wanted to be sure, I told the others. Who knows what happened?

Speaking of which, I could feel other presences in my head. Not like my sisters. In a completely different direction somehow. They weren't really living, either. Just there, motionless inside my head. I could feel four of them clearly, but there seemed to be others behind them, fuzzy, out of reach. I touched one of them.

 

_I was walking down a crowded sunlit street, a familiar looking clock tower in the distance. As I passed a shop front, I caught sight of my reflection. I was a strong featured brunette, sword at my side, dressed in orange and brown. I looked like I was in my late teens._

_"Sand!" someone called._

_I looked over and felt myself smiling as I saw Benedict, much younger and with far less line, smiling at me. I raised my hand. "Father!" I said, as a burst of what felt like static washed over me._

_I was standing in the middle of a glowing design, feeling like I had just run several marathons. In the dim distance, I could see figures. I closed my eyes, willed, and when I opened them, I was standing among them. A man I recognised from the portrait gallery as Oberon dominated the group, standing tall, the family patriarch. Standing slightly behind him were three other men. Benedict I recognised at once, younger but unsmiling. I thought that the other two were called Finndo and Osric, but I wasn't entirely sure. A dim memory surfaced that these were my brothers._

_I bowed before Oberon. "Father," I said formally._

_Oberon released a breath he seemed to have been holding in. "Sand. You've managed it. The first child of the second kingdom to have successfully assayed the Pattern." He sounded relieved. He sounded like he hadn't really believed that it was possible._

 

And then I was back outside the shadowy figure. Sand. With, apparently, two sets of memories. She'd felt like she was the same age in both of them. A contradiction.

 

*You're thinking about your past lives,* the Sorceress said with something approaching awe. *I'm thinking about your past lives.*

And there's no blinding terror. No nothing, apart from maybe some curiosity.

*I wonder if we've lost any other inhibitions,* the Princess mused.

*Who did this to us?* the Assassin asked, the angel of vengeance inside of me.

Maybe no one, I thought calmingly. Maybe it was just how I died last life.

*Maybe,* the Assassin said, sceptically.

*In which case, why has Benedict lost his memory too?* the Princess asked. *I don't believe in coincidences.*

Well, let's leave that alone for another time, I returned, as I touched the second figure.

 

_"You wanted to know this," a woman with blazingly red hair told me as we neared the top of the staircase. "You understand that if this gets out, your father will not be pleased."_

_"I'm well aware of the vanity of kings in general, mother, and my father in specific. He will not hear it from me."_

_She paused, seemingly to gather her courage, then opened the door in front of her. It revealed what looked like a simply appointed room of an inn. A white haired man sat at a table in the middle of the room. His gaze brushed past the woman briefly before focussing on me._

_"Come, sit," he said, and a chair pushed itself out from the table with no obvious force._

_Closer, I could see that the man, despite his hair, seemed to be relatively young. He actually reminded me a lot of the Director of the Facility. It wasn't him, though. I felt the echo of a memory, of one of Sand's memories, the daughter of Benedict to be exact. This man also looked like the Guardian of the Pattern, a man named Dworkin. I could feel this memory echo through my head as I sat down and looked at him challengingly._

_"I understand that you are my actual father."_

_The man looked a bit taken aback before laughing. He looked at the woman. "She reminds me of you, in ways far beyond the hair."_

_Glancing around at the woman, who was smiling fondly at the man, I caught sight of my reflection in a window. It was familiar. I had seen this red hair and this face before. I'd seen it older, though. She was..._

_"Clarissa, we have much to talk about and not much time to do it in." The man was suddenly grave. "There are reasons I cannot be here, even without your father's reaction. I am the Suhuy of Unification. You probably haven't heard of us in Amber's Golden Circle. Let me explain how this complicates things..."_

 

I withdrew from Clarissa. Well, that meant that my theory that all of my previous incarnations were of the blood of Amber was inaccurate. At least I hoped that they were. Clarissa had gone on to marry Oberon.

Sand's memory had been... interesting. It hadn't felt like I had been remembering it, but like Clarissa had been recalling it. I guessed that that made sense. After all Clarissa had probably been a reincarnation of Sand.

Does any of the rest of you have any previous incarnations you can now access?

Silence.

I guess that was a no. At least, not whilst they are visiting me. I wouldn't be surprised if the positions were reversed when I was visiting them. It was so hard to concentrate on any of my concerns when I was visiting them. Probably just as well. They had enough problems of their own.

*Which is what makes yours *so* fascinating.*

Thank you, Princess. And with that, onto contestant number 3.

 

_Crash! The vase impacted the wall near Flora's head, who didn't even flinch at the near miss._

_"You can't control me anymore," I yelled. "I'm leaving, and you can't stop me."_

_"Destroying my antiques will get you nowhere, young woman," Flora returned in a frigid tone so cold that I shivered._

_I picked a plate up off the display. I saw my own face reflected in the glaze._

_"I guess I'll just have to try out those fancy lessons that you paid for, to keep me away, and test by repetition!" I hurled the plate with deadly accuracy on a path following the first. Flora didn't react that time either._

_"Juliet!" she said firmly. "Grow up and remember you are."_

_"I do!" I spat back at her. "You're the one trying to make me forget where I came from."_

 

I withdrew with some speed. That was a scene I didn't really need to remember.

*Did you realize that Juliet had your face?* the Princess asked.

Flora had already commented to that effect.

*No, I mean she looked like you do right now. She's your age in that memory.*

Huh. And the others, if I had to guess, looked around the same age too.

*Maybe you're getting those memories because that's the stage of life you feel the greatest connection to,* the Sorceress mused.

I'm not exactly as young as Juliet was then. Her concerns just seem so petty.

*Hrm...* she trailed off into a thoughtful silence, but otherwise didn't seem to have anything else to say. I decided to touch the last figure.

 

_There was a giant humanoid lizard looming over me. Somewhere, I tried to run, but that place wasn't here. The lizard bared its teeth at me. Oh great._

_"Well, trainee," it rumbled. "How do you like your first excursion?"_

_I somewhat belatedly realized that it had a spider web tattooed onto its scales._

_Oh._

_"It's been fascinating, thank you," I said drily._

_If the lizard thing could read the tone of my voice, it ignored it. "Can you sense the disturbance?"_

_I bit my lip for a second before trusting myself to answer. "Yes."_

_"The child is nearing the final stage of degeneration, and is killing everything nearby. Let's see if you can earn that nickname, Whisper, and get close enough to take him down without any more casualties."_

_I took out a small steel mirror from my pocket and a compact rack of grease paints and checked my camouflage paint closely, comparing it with the local foliage, adjusting some colours and patterns. The mirror revealed my face, only now with the paint partially hiding a spider web tattoo._

_"Finished with your makeup?" the lizard grunted with amusement, as I stowed the mirror and the paints._

_I raised an eyebrow at its attempt at humour, before giving an approximation of a salute and disappearing into the undergrowth._

 

So Whisper was Juliet's daughter, Flora's granddaughter. But from my memories. I was fairly certain that Whisper had been the one that had helped Merlin. I went over the times. My double had been in the Facility about a century ago, so the times did match up. So either she did survive the Merlin affair, about eighty years ago, or there was no way that she could be my biological mother.

And, for some reason, I was sure that she hadn't survived Merlin by much.

So, Mum, Lindsey, had been my real mother after all. Feeling the doubt around that dissolve felt so good. I had my mother back again.

*So, what are you going to tell Flora?* the Princess asked.

Crap.

I had been going to tell her that Eric thought that I was her granddaughter. I didn't know *why* he thought that, but he seemed fairly firm on the subject. Hey, he'd even given me a duchy on the strength of that. I guessed that he might have already told her, but I wanted to make sure. Now I was going to have to try and tell her that I wasn't. Preferably without adding the complication that I had her daughter's memories, or at least some of them.

Joy.

My stomach rumbled again loudly, and I remembered that I was still in a secret room filled with secrets that I didn't feel like sharing. Not to mention that explanations would probably be required as to how I had found this place. And I wasn't too eager to confess to having done *something* last night that required a lot of power and which had unknown ramifications. Adding it all up, this just seemed like a heap of badness that I would just like to avoid. Of course, complicating this was the fact that I had been missing for a day and there were *definitely* questions that were going to be asked about that. Eric probably wasn't best pleased that the latest addition to the family had disappeared overnight. I imagined that he felt it looked a little careless.

With a bit of fiddling, I managed to locate the hidden catch to the room, which opened a panel revealing a pitch black corridor. Naturally, my backpack was probably back in my room, though I wasn't entirely certain that the torch would work here anyway. Amber generally seemed positively medieval. Still, nothing for it. I stepped into the darkness, and pulled the panel shut after me.

 

Wandering through passage with no obvious doorways with no light source is almost as much fun as it sounds. If I remembered my stories right, this would be one of those castles riddled with secret passages, with hidden entrances and exits. Luckily, I came across a dead end after a while, tapped for a while to confirm the presence of an empty space the other side of one of the walls, and spent a somewhat frustrating half hour until I finally fumbled across the catch. At least they didn't seem to hide them as well on this side.

The sliding panel revealed a room where dim light was filtering through curtains and everything had dust covers. Apparently I had managed to stumble across a disused part of the castle. Just like old times in the Facility. I just hoped that there'd be less security doors between me and the places where there was life.

After a bit of wandering, taking the least dusty corridor whenever I had a choice, I heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. Tracking them down, I found a man in distinctly more shoddy clothes than I had seen on anyone anywhere near the Diamond Suite.

"Hello," I said.

He hesitated briefly. Either he was wondering who this apparition was, dressed in cobwebs and a nightie that was probably worth more than he got in a year, or he was a thief who had snuck into a deserted part of the castle to make off with what goods he could find. I kind of hoped it was the former. It would make getting back somewhat easier.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked, obviously deciding to be polite whether or not I was actually a ghost.

"Could you lead me to the Diamond Suite? I seem to have gotten a little lost." I smiled winningly at him.

 

"Do you know how much trouble you've caused?" the doctor scolded me as she checked me over.

I have some idea, I thought, as she continued.

"The King had most of the castle guard and half the servants turned out looking for you."

I wasn't entirely sure whether the doctor was allowed to scold the usual inhabitants of the Diamond Suite - Miss Pym had told us that high nobles tend to lack a sense of humour about such things - she had either been told or decided for herself that it would be fine.

"And there you turn up most of the castle away in a part no one has even used in centuries."

I suspected that the King had let it be known that a dressing down would not go amiss. Maybe I was just a cynic.

*Maybe?* the Princess snorted.

"Anyway, you need to get plenty of this soup down you. After that drink this tisane followed by plenty of water."

Any cynicism I have regarding castle servants, I assured The Princess, I most certainly get from you.

I followed the instructions. I'd had worse soup, notably much of my own when I'd boiled down mostly rotten meat, but this was the kind of soup formulated to have that specific unpleasant 'it's good for you' taste. Still, food was food, and I wolfed it down. I think the doctor was a little worried by how quickly I had demolished the bowl because she took my temperature again.

"No more soup for now," she decided. "What you need most of all is liquids and sleep." She handed me the tisane. "This is for overuse of powers," she said, squinting at me suspiciously. "I know you say that you don't remember anything before the corridor," her voice dripped with disbelief, "but those are the symptoms that you have, so we'll give you this. Just in case."

*I'm guessing that you're not the only scion of Amber to claim innocence of power use,* the Princess noted in an amused tone. I ignored her.

The tea smelled very... healthy. I took a quick sip and it proved to taste just as vile as the smell.

*Still you've had worse,* the Princess mimicked my tone.

I gagged slightly. But not by very much.

The doctor nodded with satisfaction. "Now I'll leave you to drink this jug of water before going to sleep," she said. "Now, remember absolutely not power use before the morrow, and if you have *any* odd symptoms, ring for a servant immediately."

The doctor then turned and strode off, her exit only slightly marred by a limp in her left leg. I hadn't even caught her name.

*I think that that was entirely intentional,* the Princess said. *No name, harder to track her down later.*

It's not as though she'd be that hard to find with her bad leg. I mean, how many doctors could there be that match that description?

*Amber's a big town. And you're hardly a private investigator.*

True enough, I guess. I hadn't got to that part of the training yet. The webheads had still been obsessed with breaking down my reluctance to strike full force when I left. Anyway, it's not as though I'm going to track down this doctor just to yell at her for treating me like a little child. That'd make me look very mature.

*I don't think yelling is what they're principally worried about.*

What else am I going to do?

*It's at times like this that I'm reminded how charmingly naïve you are about the habits of nobility. Let's just say that I personally know enough nobles who would ignore the kind of royal protection that she'd need to do what she did and teach an uppity commoner a lesson. Or at least teach other uppity commoners, her being henceforth somewhat beyond lessons.*

Really? I asked, more than a little appalled.

*Really. And on that cheery note, I'd suggest that you finish off the jug of water and turn in before the Sorceress gets too antsy.*

*I am *not* antsy. The doctor just gave good advice and we should follow it.*

She's being antsy.

*Agreed,* said the Princess in an amused tone.

As the Sorceress spluttered a little, I drained the jug directly, which I'm sure would have horrified Miss Pym, and by horrified I meant dealt an exquisitely judged punishment, rolled over in my bed and closed my eyes.

 

Exploring Sand, Clarissa and the Juliets, I quickly learned to access their memories. I couldn't find anything much past their seventeenth birthday. My age. Every time I tried, I felt a flicker of my personal magic. I remembered the knowledge pouring in beyond my control. Maybe this was for the best for now. Still what I found was interesting. Sand seemed to have two completely separate histories, completely unaware of each other. In one, she was daughter of Benedict, brother of Oberon, a child of the Kingdom. In the other, she was the child of Oberon and Benedict was one of her brothers. Sand of the Kingdom had lots of aunts and uncles that I hadn't heard of before. I wondered what had happened to them. Erased, presumably. I didn't learn much more about Clarissa except to note that as a princess, she gave the Princess a run for her money. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to go up against her. I avoided much of Juliet's history. She seemed very angry generally. Whisper's history was oddly similar to mine. Raised in shadow by a family. Brought to the Facility when she was fifteen or so and trained. No invasion of her home, though. And, so far, she had shown no particular motivation to leave the Facility as anything other than staff.

I awoke in the morning to the sound of someone moving in my apartment. I tensed and reached under my pillow for my knife before I identified the sounds of the castle servants. I didn't think that I was ever going to get used to people just coming in and out of my rooms without permission. The Assassin, on the other hand, had not relaxed in the slightest.

*Don't know who they are, whom they serve or what they're really doing here.*

My nice splash of refreshing paranoia in the morning.

I heard a door open and what sounded like fabric being moved around. What *were* they doing out there? Wrapping myself in a dressing gown, I went to investigate

"Where are you taking my clothes?" I squeaked.

The servant bobbed her head, casting her gaze downwards.

"Part of the service, ma'am. They need cleaning and repairing."

Looking at them, I had to admit that she had a point. "What am I going to wear?"

"We had some clothing made up to your size. We have tailors on staff if it doesn't fit exactly, and you can make arrangements for more personally selected clothes through the staff if you wish."

I looked at the offerings that she was putting back into the wardrobe. Blouses, dresses and skirts in the main. Not precisely practical, and not fancy enough to attract the interest of the Assassin. I'd definitely be ordering some clothes in, but I guessed that they would do until then. It wasn't as though I was planning to flee across rooftops today, anyway.

*When do you ever plan to flee across rooftops?*

There have been times.

*True enough, I guess. I forget about your idea of fun.*

I ignored her. "Thank you," I told the servant. "Could you arrange a visit from a tailor today? I'd like to personally select some clothes for my use."

"Would you like a tailor or a dressmaker?"

*Dressmaker?* the Assassin asked hopefully.

"Tailor," I said firmly. I needed some practical clothes. I just hoped that they sent someone who could handle that.

*Dressmaker later?*

We'll see.

The servant bobbed her head again, finished putting the clothes neatly into the wardrobe and headed off.

Happy now? I asked the Assassin.

*No obvious threats. No pretty clothes either.*

I swear, all my sisters like living vicariously through me.

 

"I didn't just get lost. There are some new rooms between here and the kitchens!" a serving lass said to an older man in some kind of servant's uniform. She looked like she was just about to burst into tears.

It was a bit later and, after a nap, I had decided to see some of the sights of the castle and get my bearings. I didn't like being lost in the middle of such a complex. It would make escaping difficult. I had come across this little scene not far my rooms.

"That is a new one, I'll give you, but guests don't care about excuses. They just want their food on time and hot. All you have to do is deliver it. If you can't do that..."

"Please, give me another chance. I know where the new rooms are now!"

"Are you still sticking with that story?"

The girl nodded frantically. "It's the truth!"

The man sighed. "Show me these new rooms of yours. If I find out that you're lying, then it'll be back to the scullery for you."

The girl started leading the man down the corridor. I drifted along behind. New rooms sounded... interesting. Worrying, but interesting.

After a few minutes we came across a small crowd of servants, looking into a room at the end of a corridor. The jaw of the man whom I had been following dropped open.

"See!" the girl said triumphantly. "You can't get through here anymore. This gallery is in the way."

The man didn't seem to have a coherent response as I nudged past them to see a small art gallery lines with paintings and sculptures.

*I remember that.* the Artist said slowly. I almost jumped at her words. She drew my attention to a canvas displaying a chaotic landscape of lights and indistinct shapes. *I painted that during a holiday with mother.*

The plaque said 'Sleeping gods, by Sand'.

Um. Does that title have any significance? I asked nervously.

*All art has significance.*

That's not helpful. Silence. And this wasn't in character for the Artist. Secretive, yes. Cryptic, not generally. Are you alright?

*I... don't know. I feel strange, dreamlike,* she snorted softly. *Better now. You can stop worrying.*

Okay, I will. So, are you Sand?

For a moment, I didn't think she was going to reply to that. *Yes. I think.*

Huh. That bore thinking about. Though, I guess, the Sorceress did say that she was Juliet's sister, not Juliet. And she'd seen Flora die.

Princess, are you Clarissa?

*What?* the Princess asked. *Is this suddenly an inquisition inside your head?*

Pretty much

*Well, I don't feel like answering your questions.* There was a definite edge to her voice.

Are you feeling inhibitions? Compulsions?

*...No!* she said after a pause. *Well, yes. Maybe. I don't want to go there. It hasn't mattered before. Why should it matter now?*

It's something someone is trying to hide from us.

*Tell,* said the Assassin tonelessly.

*I...* I could almost feel the beads of sweat on her face as she struggled. *I think so. Yes.*

Hey, does that mean that you killed Oberon?

*You're perfectly capable of finding that out for yourself.*

But it's so hard to hold onto any kind of purpose when I'm dreaming inside you.

*You'd be right about that. Anyway, aren't you going to ask the Assassin if she was Whisper?*

*Yes.*

Yes.

*That was my name before it was taken away.*

*How come she can talk about this so easily?* the Princess demanded. *It's not fair.*

*I have something you do not,* the Assassin replied coolly.

*What would that be?*

*Focus.*

I left the Princess spluttering inside my head to have a further look around. In the corner nearest me, there was a weird sculpture that looked almost furry in places, despite apparently being made of clay. I touched it lightly. Yup, definitely felt furry. Apparently it was 'Sleep, by Vialle.' The name didn't ring a bell. Presumably another family member.

An ornate amulet hung around the neck of an otherwise plain bust. The plaque simply said 'Dworkin.' The bust had no features, definitely nothing like the Director, so I guessed that Dworkin had made the amulet rather than the bust.

Finally along the other wall of the gallery were a series of landscapes, all done by Bleys. Uhuh. Apparently there had been effects from the dream, whatever it had been.

I turned to the small crowd of on looking servants and pointed to one. "Could you take a message to Princess Fiona that Keri wishes to see her at her earliest possible convenience, and guide her back if she's free?"

The servant, a man of middling years, looked a little wide eyed when he heard Fiona's name, but apparently decided that if I was using the princess' name, then I could be responsible for what happened next and hurried off.

 

Fiona arrived gracefully about ten minutes later. As she approached the room, her brow furrowed. "I don't remember this being here."

"According to the servants, it wasn't until today. That's not the only thing." I lead her to the series of pictures by Bleys. "Look at the artist of these pictures."

"Bleys?" she said looking puzzled. The discordant sound of the enchantment started up, but seemed weaker. Fiona's face still looked puzzled, rather than returning to calm as I had seen happen the day before yesterday. "I remember that name. From somewhere." She looked like she was struggling to say or do something but couldn't quite manage it.

"I think there's a spell affecting you," I told her.

Her concentration broke, and her expression returned to normal. "Really?" I heard the hum of magic. "I can't sense anything."

"That seems to be part of the spell. Do you mind if I take a look?"

She studied me. "Just a look?"

"For now. I might be able to remove it with your permission and a little study."

"Just a look for now," she decided.

I gently hummed Pattern in her direction. The resonances came back tangled and intricate, woven into her aura.

Do you think that you can do something about this? I asked the Sorceress.

*It will be difficult, but I think I can make headway. It will take time.*

It sounded like we were best off inviting her back to chambers, hers or mine; it was going to take that long.

There was something else, too, a silence, an absence of noise I hadn't really been aware of before.

*This room undoubtedly had odd properties. Go to the doorway and see if you can sense what's missing.*

I followed the Sorceress' instructions and, once outside, I could sense it again. The universe itself was resonating to this alien dissonance. I didn't know what it all meant, but in detail I guessed that this room would be the best place to remove the enchantment affecting Fiona.

"There's definitely something affecting you."

"Really?" The word dripped with scepticism. I guessed that no Court Sorceress wanted to believe that she had been caught up in another's spell.

"Really. Why don't you tell me about your brother Bleys, the artist?" I gestured to one of the paintings.

Her gaze lost focus. "I... I.... have a brother called Bleys?" she asked. "I have a brother called Bleys," she repeated more tentative statement than question.

"Something's obviously affecting you. Let me help."

"Fine," she bit off. "But I'll be watching."

I would expect nothing less.

 

The process took time. I tried to be as careful as I could, with the Sorceress' help. It was slow, laborious and tiring unweaving the enchantment from her aura, and it had an irritating tendency to spring back around an area when I let my attention waver at all. Finally, the Sorceress managed to come up with a technique to introduce controlled power surges into the enchantment, causing it to deharmonise from her aura.

*Given time, it should fade away now,* she said with a certain degree of exhaustion.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Fiona.

"Angry. Someone has done this to me, and, as soon as I find out who the guilty party is, I will make them regret it. At length."

Fiona, for all that she was smaller and a lot slighter than me, could be very scary.

"I think we need to discuss who you found this enchantment," she said, focussing her green eyes on me.

Great. Ummmm... I raised one hand to my head. "I think I need to rest," I told her. It wasn't precisely a lie. I was feeling more than a little tired after a fairly long and very focussed if not actually intensive use of power. "I'm not sure I was supposed to use power again so quickly."

She looked me over. "You *are* looking fatigued. Go to your rooms. I'll find you there later." She waved a goodbye absently as her attention drifted back to the paintings on the wall. "I would like to stay here a while."

I hurriedly left before she could change her mind.

 

On my way back to my rooms, I decided to take a detour to the Portrait Gallery. I wondered if Bleys' portrait had appeared there when the gallery returned. As I approached, I heard voices within.

"Are you sure that you can't see anything?" It sounded like Martin.

"Are you sure that you haven't had a touch too much to drink already?" rumbled a deep voice. After a second I identified the speaker as Gerard.

I rounded the corner to see the both of them in the gallery. Martin was pointing to where Bleys' portrait was supposed to be. It seemed a lot more solid today, if not actually substantial.

"Keri!" Martin called, catching sight of me. "Can you see this dark patch?"

"Hi, I'm Keri," I said to Gerard, extending my hand. "I believe that we've met briefly." Please don't tell Martin that I can patternwalk, I thought in his direction.

He looked as if he were trying to remember where he'd seen me before. Then his eyes widened and he took my hand and shook it. "Ah, you'd be the lass that... we met at the Facility." Bless you, uncle Gerard. "Welcome to the family."

I smiled. "Well, I'm not officially family yet, despite Eric's blandishments."

"Politics?" he rumbled with some distaste.

"Not exactly. Just... a certain lack of connection. All this is so new to me. I don't want to rush into anything I might later regret."

"You won't regret joining the family, lass. Despite everything, there's no finer place to be than Amber, not in all of shadow."

Martin looked like he was biting his lip.

"It's true everyone here has been so friendly," I replied.

Martin stopped biting his lip to eye me with astonishment.

"That's good. We'll have you in the family bosom in no time." The mind boggled. "And if anyone does give you trouble, just let me know."

Ooookay. "Thank you, Gerard."

He gave me a wink. "Think nothing of it and call me Uncle Gerard. Now, I'm off to breakfast before I expire from hunger. I'm not sure exactly how I ended up here, but I know the way from here on. Do you want to join me, lass?"

Uh... "No, thank you, Uncle Gerard. I've already eaten."

"I can see you've got some meat on your bones, unlike many of your aunts." I wasn't too sure whether or not I should be insulted. "You definitely know how to eat." Okay, now I was definitely insulted. "I'll see you around, lass." He strode off out of the room, presumably in search of the dining hall

"Is he for real?" I whispered to Martin after Gerard had left.

He shrugged. "I've been trying to work that out myself. I'll let you know when I decide."

Princess?

*Either he's the best actor I've ever seen, or that's really just him. But surely no one is actually like that.*

So answer unclear, try again later?

*Pretty much.*

I focussed my attention back on Martin. "So you can see that something is there?"

"Yes. It's really frustrating. If I concentrate," the discordant sound of Martin's enchantment increased "I can almost make out the portrait's features." The sound of the enchantment climaxed and then cut out. "But then my concentration slips and I can hardly even remember what I'm looking at."

"Huh. Interesting."

"Can you see something?" he sounded hopeful.

"Yes. Don't you remember that I tried to point it out the day before yesterday?"

"Vaguely. I remember you talking about something..." he paused for a second, remembering. "Wow. I suddenly have a lot more sympathy for you."

"You're under an enchantment."

"Really?"

I shrugged. "It seems to be a family trait. Do you mind if I have a look at it?"

"That's one of those requests I've told to refuse."

I couldn't take issue with the wisdom of those instructions. "It's up to you. Something *is* affecting your thoughts though. That's why you're having problems concentrating. It's up to you if you trust me less than whatever is doing this to you."

He nibbled his lip. "When you put it like that... how do I know you're not behind this?"

"If I could interfere with your mind to that extent, I wouldn't need to ask your permission to scan you."

"Fair enough. I can't argue with that. I hope you aren't offended at me being a little dubious."

I smiled. "Not at all. I get ten feeling that in this place a little paranoia is never a bad thing."

I concentrated. The enchantment was there, though definitely weaker. Maybe it was his age. Maybe it was that he hadn't walked the Pattern.

"It's definitely there. You'll be glad to know that it's weaker than the other one I've seen. You might want to see Fiona so she can remove it." Firstly, I didn't want to become the family disenchanter. Secondly, given that apparently Martin wasn't allowed to walk the Pattern, he'd probably be a little less than thrilled to find out that I had apparently already walked it.

Martin grunted. "Fiona? Are you sure?"

"If you want it gone, she's probably your best bet." Once she had managed to deal with the remnants of her own problem. I quickly described how to get to the gallery. "She was there when I left her. She said that she'd be waiting there for a while."

He gave me a harried look. "Is this the *only* way to get this removed?"

I nodded mercilessly.

"If I fail to return, tell my grandmother that I loved her," he sighed melodramatically and headed off.

"Why Fiona?" I heard him mutter from down the corridor.

 

"The king will see you now," his secretary told me.

After talking to Martin I'd uneasily come to the conclusion that this was something that Eric would probably want to know. Not that he was my king yet, but still.

"Keri," Eric greeted me warmly. "What can I do for you? Have you made your decision?"

"Not yet. I've come about something else. I'm sure that you've heard about parts of the castle appearing overnight?" Eric nodded. "Well, in one of these rooms is a gallery holding the work of one of your brothers, a man called Bleys."

The sound of discordance almost deafened me. This was far stronger than it had been with Fiona, even before the appearance of the gallery. There seemed to be an echo of discordance, coming from his sword, sheathed in the corner of the room.

"I'm sorry," he said pleasantly. "What were you saying?"

The door opened, and Fiona strode in. "Eric. There's something we need to discuss." She blinked at my presence. "Keri. What a delight to see you. I thought you were resting." Her voice contained a barely perceptible edge. I shivered. I got the impression that this incident was going to be stored away to reappear sometime in the future when it was least convenient.

"Fiona," Eric's voice wasn't quite so pleasant. "What do we need to discuss? Right now?"

"Bleys," I said.

Eric's eyes immediately went a little unfocussed. The wave of discordance hit me again.

"Bleys," echoed Fiona, studying Eric. "Is this what happened to me?"

"Worse."

"Sire," Fiona said formally. "I have reason to believe that you have been affected by a sorcery. Might I examine you?"

Eric studied Fiona in turn. "I do not believe that you would ask this lightly." He paused, considering the request. "Very well."

"Fiona!" I squeaked as she started to concentrate. "What if this is an infectious spell? You're still affected."

She pursed her lips. "You might be right. Scan him and I'll passively look."

That'll teach me to try and be helpful. I concentrated and sent out a fine hum of Pattern energy. As expected, it returned a dissonance. What I didn't expect was the complexity and sheer viciousness of the spell around Eric. For whatever reason, he had a far larger problem than anyone else, and it didn't help that his aura and the dissonance wee both entangled with that sword of his, which also radiated Pattern by itself.

"Did you get that?" I asked Fiona.

She shot me a troubled look. "Some of it, at least. You'll have to go over your impressions with me later."

"Fiona. Keri. I've been very patient with you so far. I'd like a full report on what this is about and what you found." Now Eric wasn't smiling at either of us, and I fully appreciated for the first time how much bigger than me he was. I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and looked at Fiona with an enquiring eyebrow.

Fiona shot me a *look* in return.

"It appears that you are under the influence of a spell of unknown origin and power source, Sire."

Immediately dissonance growled. Eric's expression went from controlled anger to slight confusion. "What kind of spell?" he asked slowly. "What's it trying to do?"

"Among other things, it appears to be editing your thoughts."

The dissonance grew louder. "My... thoughts? What... thoughts?"

"Seemingly your thoughts about the spell itself," Fiona muttered to herself. The only reason I heard her words was because I was right next to her. "Interesting." She raised her voice to a pitch that would carry clearly to Eric. "I'm not sure, your majesty. I haven't managed to study it that yet."

The dissonance grew still louder. "There's... a name," Eric replied more to himself. "What is it?"

"Fascinating," Fiona murmured, looking like she was taking notes as the King struggled with the spell.

*The enchantment is still increasing in intensity,* the Sorceress said. *Is this him resisting the spell? Or might it be the spell seeking to complete the circuit and presumably wiping his mind of these events?*

"Bleys," Eric finally managed, and the dissonance roared. His face went briefly blank and then he focussed on the two of us. "Is there anything else I can help you ladies with?"

Oh boy, back to controlled anger.

"No, your majesty." Fiona sketched a quick curtsey and I followed suit.

"I will expect a full report, then."

"As soon as I have completed my analysis."

Eric inclined his head, dismissing us.

As soon as we had exited his study and left it and his secretary behind, Fiona's expression went from calm contemplation to livid.

"How dare he play those little games with me!" she hissed. "I am a Princess of Amber, not one of his courtiers!"

I decided to stay quiet and try and remain unnoticed.

"I shouldn't have to curtsey to anyone," she continued a little more calmly. She suddenly seemed to remember that I was there and turned towards me. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Eric has his little preferred habits that he expects from family. Especially female members of the family. If you don't mind, I'd like to catch up with you later. I believe you needed some rest?" She raised an arch eyebrow.

"Sorry," I apologised to her. "I just thought that the king would want to know."

She waved her hand is dismissal. "With the current regime, I suppose that it's not a bad habit to get into. Go. You do need that rest."

I escaped gratefully down the corridor to the sound of Fiona muttering direly to herself. "... no better. Neither interested nor fit, my..."

 

I put down my knife and fork and surveyed the empty plates with satisfaction. Whatever else, the Diamond Suite was certainly served with wonderful food. A servant quietly approached the table to remove the dishes.

I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, do you know if any clothes have been delivered yet?"

"Some clothes arrived whilst you were asleep, your Grace. I believe that they were hung in the closet in the reception room until you awoke, and then moved into the wardrobe in your bedroom."

Having my own suite of rooms with servants was certainly going to take some getting used to. Too many people around at all hours. Still, appearances mattered.

"Thank you." I rose to my feet. Hopefully both the tunic and the trousers that had just needed to be adjusted as opposed to made for me outright had arrived. (The tailor had seemed to think that premade clothes for someone of my status was almost an insult. I had ignored him.)

Ah,excellent. Here they were. They were much better than the dresses that I had been forced into since awakening today.

Now for some exploration of the castle. I'd decided to avoid the secret passages for now, certainly until I'd managed to acquire a decent source of light, but the castle was big enough by itself, even before I started considering the city. I was walking down a corridor when a wave of Pattern energy hit me at just the wrong moment, causing me to stumble and fall. The floor flashed towards me, before abruptly slowing down in its approach, my face still a few feet from the floor. I could see every tile, every speck of dust and grime as I tried to bring my arms forward in a roll, but it was like pulling them through taffy. Slower and slower until, for a moment, everything was still. Then suddenly everything accelerated again, and it was only my old reflexes that allowed me to land safely.

Crap. This was *not* good.

Faint sounds of panic were obliterated from my consciousness when the following wave of dissonance hit.

Okay, this really wasn't good.

My vision blurred as I started vibrating. The pattern within me started vibrating. The castle may have also started vibrating, I really wasn't sure. As the vibration from the pattern within me burst outwards from my frame, I began to perceive more and more, as the waves of pattern washed against other signatures and gave a return. I could feel first those of the blood in the castle, then in the city, then in the world, and then beyond, a wave of perception and pattern that was almost too much for me to sense. It took me... some time before I could gather my wits to focus enough.

Each pattern signature had its own dissonance. The stronger the signature, the stronger the dissonance, apart from in two cases, Fiona and I. Somewhat to my surprise, I had the strongest signature, though Eric was definitely second. And then I listened to the Pattern itself, and it was screaming.

The largest shroud of dissonance I had ever heard enveloped it. It felt like the dissonance was just feeding the Pattern more and more power. If it carried on, it felt like the Pattern was going to shake itself apart.

And, of course, I suspected that no one infected by the dissonance was going to be able to do a bit of good. Typical. This kind of thing was way beyond me. I just wished that I could think of someone else, anyone else, to handle this.

I managed to find a servant, who was looking more than a little panicked. "Get Princess Fiona," I told her. Maybe I'd freed Fiona enough so that she could do some good. Maybe. "Tell her Keri needs her now, here." The woman raced off.

I settled down to concentrate and probe the shroud. As soon as I touched it, I knew I had made a mistake. Power like electricity seared through me and back into the Pattern. I was trapped. If I let go of either end, I was fairly sure that I'd probably be killed by the discharge. And it hurt. Oh goddess, did it hurt.

I tried to put the pain to one side and tried the same trick that the Sorceress had developed for freeing Fiona, feeding pulses of power back into the shroud to make it deharmonise from the Pattern.

White agony burned me from the inside.

When my vision cleared, I was still somehow holding onto both the Pattern and the shroud. It was why I was still alive.

*I don't think that that was the best idea,* the Sorceress said weakly.

Really?

*If the situation was normal, I think it'd work. At the moment, with the power flowing through the Pattern and shroud, I think deharmonising them would just tear them both apart.*

That might have been useful to mention a few minutes ago.

*Sorry,* she apologised. *Unfortunately I only thought about that in the aftermath.*

Well, let's do what I can, I thought, and drew upon my strength to hold the Pattern together and damp down the vibrations. I really hoped that Fiona would arrive soon.

"What are you doing, child?" Fiona's voice asked.

I didn't feel like I could spare the attention to look to confirm. "Being stuck with my fingers in the power sockets, mostly. There's an enchantment on the Pattern like the one that was on you. It's overloading the Pattern with power." Panic entered my voice. "I don't know what to do!" And I hurt. I hurt so very much.

There was a pause. "Keri, I'm going to need to work through you. You seem to be able to see this alien power, whatever it is, much more clearly than the rest of us."

"Okay."

She spoke calmingly. "You're going to need to let me in. You're going to have to open your barriers to me."

Oh. Great.

"For what it's worth, I'll try not to look at anything apart from the current problem."

It didn't help much. But I didn't really have any choice. "Before you do, you need to know something. If you..." I'd kept this so secret for so long, it was hard to say. "If you sense multiple people in here, then don't worry."

Even through the pain, I could feel the measuring look that she gave me. Then she was next to me, brushing my head with a feathery light touch. "Okay, Keri, let me in now."

And I did.

As Fiona entered my mind, the remnants of her enchantment slewed off, burning like phosphorous as they entered the confines of my mind. I would have screamed at the renewed pain, but I no longer had control of my body. Good as her word, I felt her glide through my thoughts and my senses, focussed only on the Pattern and the shroud surrounding it. She studied it. Then she started work.

I'd like to be able to say that when she took over, the pain ceased. I'd even like to be able to say that when she took over, the pain lessened, or even stayed the same. I'd just be lying if I said any of that. It got worse. Much worse. Fiona had one tool to use to attack the shroud, and she used me ruthlessly, to best effect. The only good thing was that I didn't have to hold on any more. I could just float in a sea of agony, and wait for the shore.

I found myself looking up at a hole in the fabric 'above' Amber, a weak point to somewhere else. Excess energy from the Pattern was flooding into it, helping to stabilise the Pattern despite the efforts of the dissonance. Of course, it was also a potential entry point for an invasion. I cast my hearing through the hole, and heard the sound of chaos echoing from somewhere else along the passage way. And somewhere else too. I didn't think it was in Amber or Chaos from the harmonies, but someone *was* channelling an awful lot of Logrus energy there. And some Pattern too.

A renewed wave of pain drew me back to my body. I sneaked a glance at what Fiona was doing. She's obviously made headway in dislodging the shroud, but wasn't there yet.

And then she did something that *really* hurt, and my mind managed to take me somewhere else.

 

_I was in the ashen remains of a forest, blackened stumps like broken teeth littering the landscape. I shivered. This place felt *wrong.*_

_I turned around to the men with me. I used the term 'men' loosely. People from Unification are rarely defined quite that easily._

_"We're late. The ritual's already started. K'thon, circle around to the left. Jilith, take the right. And, you," I pointed to Merlin. "You stick with me. I'm going to need heavy support when things go badly."_

_"And you want to keep an eye on me."_

_I quirked a smile at him. "Losing the crown prince of Unification would look a little careless."_

_The teams moved off, leaving us alone._

_"Now I see your real plan," he murmured to me._

_"Hush. And keep behind me." I started to move towards the target zone, keeping low and silent._

_The only noise coming from behind me was a quiet "As you wish, my lady." For such a dandy, he did seem to know how to move._

_Pressure waves of magic built up as we got close. Glancing back, I could Merlin squinting. "She burns."_

_Not good._

_That's when the screams started from my right. Jilith's team had been detected. Unfortunately, according to plan. I murmured a quick prayer for their souls. These fuckers didn't fight pleasantly. I just hoped that they'd die well. It was better than the alternatives._

_I held up a hand, and counted down from ten using my fingers. That should give K'thon enough time to get into position._

_Zero. Time to do or die._

_I raced forward, stealth taking second place to speed. I didn't need to look behind to know that Merlin was there. I just hoped that K'thon's second front would give us an opportunity to get to the sacrifice. If they did, I knew it wouldn't last long._

_I burst from cover to see the battle had indeed been joined. The outer guards had been occupied massacring Jilith's team. The inner guards were for these precious few seconds occupied with K'thon's._

_The sacrifice was still lying on the stone altar. For an instant, I allowed myself to hope that we'd managed to save the kid, before I attended to business and some very surprised ritualists sprouted daggers from inconvenient parts of their anatomy._

_The chanting faltered. Stopped. What had been a tightly controlled flow of Other energy abruptly wasn't._

_We were all going to die. At least I'd come back._

_Then Merlin pushed in front of me, slithering Logrus energy reaching towards the rapidly approaching critical mass in front of us. He did something so complex that I couldn't even focus on it. And the energy froze in place._

_"I've got it," he said. "I've done it." He turned to give me that cocky grin of his. Then the energy discharged through him._

_For a second he literally glowed, then collapsed to the ground. I rushed over, only to halt a few yards away. I'd seen what can happen when the Others get their hooks into you. Not pretty and, worse, infectious._

_I had other priorities. There were still hostiles alive. It took me a few minutes, and more than a few blades before I was satisfied that the remnants of the two teams could take care of the rest._

_I approached the child gingerly. She turned as I approached. Her eyes were on fire. Whatever else had happened, the cultists had definitely summoned *something*. But it didn't feel like one of the Others. It didn't sound right, but more like how someone from Unification didn't sound right than the alien discordance I'd grown to know._

_"Who are you?" she asked._

_"Whisper. I'm here to help." I guessed that a little white lie wouldn't hurt._

_I heard a groan from behind me. Merlin. He was still alive. That wasn't necessarily good._

_"You've got to kill me," he whispered._

_"What?" The squads were all his men. They didn't know why we were really here, what we were really doing. I doubted that they would take kindly to me killing the crown prince in front of them._

_"I can't contain it for long. I need your help. Please, Whisper." The look in his eyes was desperate. It reminded me of..._

_"Fine. I'll do it."_

_He relaxed immediately. "Thank you. Straight in the heart, quick and clean." He chuckled raspily. "You always did stop my heart," he said, his eyes alight with the old mischief._

_"You've got a plan." A statement, not a question. He didn't answer. He was failing fast. "Damn," I said, and drew a dagger. Too many witnesses to hide what I was doing, so I just buried it up to the hilt in his body. He jerked for a minute, then his eyes clouded over and he slumped against the floor._

_"Hey! She killed the crown prince! The amberite killed the crown prince."_

_Oh, Oberon was going to *love* hearing about this._

_I grabbed the body and ran. I didn't trust his men to dispose of it properly. It might become infectious even after death. He wouldn't have wanted that. When I had gotten a safe distance, I placed the body carefully on the ground. Where was I going to find a good incinerator around here?_

_"After I'm dead you have to unweave my body."_

_I jumped. He hadn't said that. I was sure. But now I remembered him saying that. And I even remembered what unweaving was, as though he had explained it to me, a complex weaving of harmonies designed to dissolve the body._

_"You have to trust me."_

_Another new memory. The hell of it was that I did, despite the sheer wrongness of the situation. Trusted him beyond life, apparently._

_"You had better be right about this," I told his body. I swear that it was smirking, even in death._

_I sang the harmonies, and Merlin's body dissolved by layers. I had almost completed the task when a disturbance hit and I lost control of the harmony. It turned on me, and I started to dissolve alongside him. I tried to stop it, to cancel the effect, but I couldn't._

_I guessed that I'd see him again quicker than either of us had imagined, I thought as I dissolved into a sea of pain._

 

And then I was aware of my surroundings again. Fiona had spent my essence dissolving the shroud around the Pattern, narrowing its connection until just a few notes remained. Power was running through us faster and faster as we became the main connection between the shroud and the Pattern. Finally there was but a single harmony connecting the shroud and Pattern. Power was running through us like a torrent. We could do anything. Except survive it for long.

Fiona attracted my attention. "Let go of both the Pattern and the shroud at the same time on my command."

"Three"

"Two"

"One"

As I let go, she struck at the remaining connection, destroying it.

Power arced through us. I think that we both screamed.

Blackness.


	28. Chapter 28

I woke up and kind of wished that I hadn't. To say that my head hurt was an understatement. I opened my eyes a slit and saw that I was in my bedroom with the shutters closed, hooked up to some drips.

How long had I been out? The good news did appear to be that the castle had survived. Something was wrong, though.

As I looked around, some movement in the corner of the room made me glance in that direction, which caused its own little whiteout of pain. Nothing like what I dimly remembered from before I blacked out, but luckily my memory was good at shielding me from the worst of such details.

"Your Grace?" murmured a voice.

I winced. It was still a little on the loud side at the moment. I attempted to reply in the affirmative, only for nothing but a croak to emerge. Apparently my throat had seen better days too.

A bowl materialized in front of me, held aloft by some hands. "Take this and sip it. Slowly!"

I did as ordered, and after I had finished the bowl I could speak again. "Thank you," I rasped.

"Now lie back and remain still whilst I remove your drips."

As the person worked, I could see that she was the same doctor whom had treated me before. She seemed a lot more respectful this time.

After she had finished, she went back through the door and returned shortly with a bowl which she placed in my lap. "The food inside looked very bland.

"Eat as much of this as you can. You've been unconscious for three days, so your stomach isn't used to food at the moment, so we need to take this in baby steps."

Three days? Goddess. I really had to stop doing this to myself. I managed to force down a few mouthfuls before I felt full.

"Good. I'll leave the bowl on the table by your bed. Whenever you feel able, take a few more mouthfuls." She handed me a cup of liquid that smelt truly vile. "I'm sorry, but you need to drink this, and another one every three hours. You've suffered severe power over-extension. This will hopefully kill your headache by tomorrow, and help your powers recover as quicky as possible."

That's what was wrong. I couldn't heard the Pattern or any other power.

Sisters? I panicked a little. After all, that was my personal magic, wasn't it?

*Why are you trying to get us to share your misery?* asked the Princess grumpily. *Isn't what you put us through before enough for you?*

I just wanted to check that I still had you.

*Well, you do, so let me go have a nap in your subconscious again until you feel more human.*

That was one less thing to worry about, I guessed.

"Your Grace?" asked the doctor. "You really do need to drink."

I realised that I had been staring vacantly at the cup for a few minutes. "Sure," I said, and started in on it. Goddess, it was vile, though my shaky stomach didn't help.

"Well done. I'm leaving a jug of water next to you. If you can, I'd suggest drinking as much of that as you can, to rehydrate yourself. Small sips, though." She gave me a small curtsey. Yep, definitely a lot more respectful. "I'll return in about three hours," she said and left, limping slightly.

I lay back and rested my eyes, occasionally taking a sip of water or a mouthful of the food like substance. I wondered how Fiona was doing. Hopefully better than me. Despite how she had used me, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I let my thoughts drift. I hoped that Seraphina was fine. Broadway too. Hang on a minute, I thought. Had that been *his* signature at work somewhere in shadow? I wouldn't be surprised. I wondered what he had been doing out there with that much power.

A loud knocking at my door had me swearing and stumbling to my feet. Which idiot as this. Answering the door let in far too much light, blinding me and sending daggers of pain through my head.

"Keri?" a far too loud voice asked me. "You look like hell."

"Thanks, Martin," I mumbled. "Do you want to come in and shut that door behind you?"

"It's awfully dim in here," he remarked. "Do you want me to light a candle or something."

"No!" I said sharply and regretted it. "And if you could lower your voice, I'd like that too."

"Sorry," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Have you ever had a hangover?" I hadn't but was familiar with the effects from the experiences of a certain lush.

*Hey,* the Princess objected, then realised that she had come far too close to my consciousness for comfort at the moment, and scuttled back.

Martin nodded. "A few times."

"Well it's kind of like that. Only a couple of hundred times worse."

"So what happened? You've been out three days. Or is it one of those things that you're not allowed to talk about?"

"Probably one of those things that I'm not allowed to talk about." I wasn't sure whom Eric wanted to know about an attack on the Pattern. Assumng that we could get the concept through to him.

"Oh," he seemed a little downcast. "No one ever tells me anything."

"Sorry," I apologised. "Still, if the things that they tell me land me up in here, I'm not sure that you aren't better off."

"Maybe." He didn't seem convinced. I wasn't either, really. "Still, I'm glad you're better. At least now I've got someone almost my age around here again. I guess that we'll be seeing a lot of each other until I'm old enough to walk the Pattern."

"I have-" nowhere else to be until I managed to get my powers back. If I ever did. "I guess so. Though I might be able to persuade someone to take me home at some point." For which read 'When I have my powers back.' There was no way that I was going to take anyone back to anywhere important to me. I still remembered Brand's little greeting present of pictures of Lindsey. Lindsey. I hoped that she wouldn't worry too much. I had been writing back regularly. Now it didn't look like I would able to do that again any time soon.

"Good luck!" he said. "I've never managed to get anywhere with that." He looked at my face whilst I was thinking of Lindsey and reached out and touched me gently. "Cheer up. I promise that I'll take you anywhere you want to go when I walk the Pattern in a few years."

I had to smile at his efforts. Stop the Assassin from trying to break his wrist when he touched me, true, but his clear attempt to cheer me up touched me. "Thanks. I might hold you to that. If you want to travel so much, why haven't you travelled around the Golden Circle?"

"I have," he said glumly. "My grandmother's influence stretches there quite comfortably. Everywhere I went, her guards went there before me, making sure that everything was to her satisfaction. And the Golden Circle isn't that different to Rebma. Just more of the same." He related a few stories to illustrate that point. I couldn't help but notice that in them he was always staying in palaces, embassies or, at worst, highly expensive hotels. And he wondered why everywhere seemed the same.

"Well, it's only a few years. I'm sure that you can find something to occupy yourself until then."

"Grandmother certainly has plans in that direction. She's currently looking for a suitable wife for me."

"And that doesn't fill you with joy?"

"I'm probably not going to even know whomever she selects. And I'm not that way inclined, in any case."

"You're not into arranged marriages?"

"I'm not into women in that way."

"Oh." It took me a few moments to put together. I mean, I knew that some people liked people of the same sex. Obviously. But I guessed that I really hadn't considered that someone might not like any members of the opposite sex. Though, come to think of it, I couldn't remember any boys that I had liked in that way. Still, this was rather getting me off track from Martin's problem. "Oh! That must *really* suck, then, the whole arranged marriage thing."

He nodded glumly.

*What a pity,* the Princess mused, rising back up to the surface.

No. No, we are not having this conversation in my head. It's bad enough when you make those comments about people I *do* find attractive, without starting in on the people that I don't.

*Well, it isn't as though you are going for any of my suggestion about people that you do like, so I thought I'd indulge myself with some people you don't like in that way. Besides, you owe me for this headache.*

He's my *cousin*!

*I think we've proved he's not mine. Anyway, marriages between cousins is not exactly uncommon amongst royalty.*

Still. So not interested.

*You can't blame a girl for looking.*

Actually, I believe that you'll find that I can. I can definitely blame you for commenting. And we're not having this conversation.

I focussed back on Martin. "Martin, you do realise that you have a say in this?"

He looked surprised. "I do?"

"You will walk the Pattern in a few years. Then you'll have the power to walk worlds. And if life is bad enough at home, you'll walk away and not come back."

"I'm loyal to Rebma," he said a little stiffly.

"And Rebma's interests lie in that remaining so. Can you honestly say that a couple of centuries of loveless marriage might not erode that a little?"

"I guess..."

"Exactly. So negotiate with your grandmother."

"I have friends in Rebma. People I like. Moire wouldn't hurt them, but she might make life more difficult for them."

"That'd be a bad move for her, since it'd just make you less likely to cooperate when you do have power. Hopefully you can make her see that if she does make threats."

He looked a little overawed. "I can't bargain with my grandmother. She'd eat me alive."

*From the looks of it, he really can't, and she really would,* the Princess said in an amused tone.

"Then get someone to do it for you."

"Maybe I should ask you," he said half jokingly.

I snorted. "I'm sure that'd go down well."

The door to the corridor opened quietly. "Your Grace," came the voice of the doctor. "What are you doing out of bed? And you seem to have a visitor." Her tone made it clear what she thought of me having visitors at the moment.

Martin shot to his feet. "I'll, I'll be leaving now. See you around!" He waved in my direction, then vanished.

"Now I'll help your Grace back to bed and give you more of the tisane."

The taste hadn't improved in the slightest.

 

The next morning, I felt much better. Even better, I didn't have to drink any more of that dreadful tea. My good mood lasted until I saw the pile of messages awaiting me. Apparently word had escaped that there was someone of importance staying here, and seemingly every noble in Amber had their idea about how we should meet. Great, just great. How many trees died to make this mess? It didn't help that some nobles were apparently great believers in scenting their messages. I wasn't sure if the scents were vile individually, or if that was just the amalgamation. I almost missed a small plain note somewhere near the middle. The only reason I noticed it at all was the sheer contrast between it and the other gaudy overdone pieces of paper all attempting to out do each other. It was from Flora, inquiring how I was and asking if she could visit me this evening. I winced a little, trying to think how I was going to explain my non-relation to her, but I wrote a note in response thanking her for her concern and saying that I would be delighted to receive her this evening.

*Pretty dress?* the Assassin inquired hopefully.

There were a few dresses in my wardrobe that had been left for me. None nearly impractical enough for the Assassin. I felt her retreat, disappointed.

I decided that I probably needed to catch on my studies, lest Brand come asking why his favourite (and only) student had not yet completed his exercises. Well, I had a good excuse for the exercises, but I was fairly sure that he'd expect me (or more accurately the Sorceress) to at least be able talk about the theory.

*You realise that you have an entirely too overdeveloped sense of guilt?* said the Princess.

He's taken time out to try and teach me about Pattern.

*And what useful things he's taught you,* she said drily. *With the notable exception of being able to travel through shadow quietly.*

*Without his notes on higher resonances, I doubt that I would have been able to free Fiona as much as I did from the dissonance,* the Sorceress said. *And his theories are *interesting*.*

*I can see that I'm outvoted,* sighed the Princess. *But I do think you need to relax at some point.*

Some roofrunning might be nice. It would certainly give me a different perspective on the castle.

*You could actually talk to people. Spend time with them.*

I will be. Tonight.

*I'm not entirely sure that counts as quality time. Too stressful.*

You're never happy, I told her. And now its time for some study.

 

I recognised that knock. "Martin," I smiled as I answered it. "What can I do for you?"

"You're looking a lot better today," he said as he followed me in.

"Light is no longer my enemy. I'm wearing proper clothes, too."

He blinked. "Those weren't proper clothes yesterday?"

I looked at him curiously. "You're from around here. I know you said that you weren't interested in women, but *surely* you know what a nightgown looks like."

He gave a self deprecating laugh. "Apparently not. Is this where you tell me off for being unobservant?"

"No, this is where I laugh at you." I grinned at him to take the sting away. "So is this business or pleasure?"

He looked a little uncomfortable. "I thought about what you said yesterday, that I needed someone to negotiate with my grandmother for me."

I didn't like where this going.

"And you'd like me to do this for you?"

He nodded. "Would you mind?"

*How can you resist those eyes?*

Quite easily.

*On a more pragmatic note, Martin is a prince of Amber and his grandmother does appear to have some influence locally. Having him owe you would not be a bad move, if we're going to be sticking around here.*

At the risk of antagonising said grandmother.

*I never said that there weren't risks. It's what makes this fun.*

"Who is your grandmother? I don't believe that you've told me."

Martin looked taken aback for a second, then laughed ruefully. "That'll teach me to complain about my grandmother's influence. She's Moire, the Queen of Rebma."

I remembered Eric mentioning it. "Oh. So is she trying to marry you off for some specific political purpose, or just generally looking to make an alliance."

He loooked at the ground. "She wants children, quickly."

"What's the rush? We apparently have centuries."

"Yes, well, she thinks that Eric will insist that, in return for me walking the Pattern, any children of mine will belong to the royal house of Amber rather than Rebma. Apparently that's the price that Aunt Llewella had to pay."

Of course, in her case there were practical problems, like the fact that she still seemed to be fascinated enough by a centuries dead woman to go chasing her reincarnation.

"So Moire's hoping to have some children by you to beat the deadline?"

Martin nodded. "We don't seem to be a fertile bunch, but she thinks that the right woman combined with the right omens can provide a child in time. To be honest, I think she'd be just as happy if I just slept with a lot of women and played the numbers game that way. I couldn't do that, though," he said tightly, seeming to be speaking about more than his lack of interest in women.

I gave him a smile, which he returned a little wanly. "Now *that* is useful to know. It becomes about children, rather than marriage. I take it you don't have any fundamental problem with having children?"

He shook his head.

"Good. Now in my world, well, when I was young, there were ways to have children without sex." To be honest, I was little hazy on the exact process. It hadn't been one of my big interests when I was twelve. I remembered vaguely having the impression that it involved a doctor collecting a guy's pee, but I suspected that I might have a few of the details wrong.

"Really?"

"It's out there. Whether or not it will work with family, I don't know. But I think it was designed to help people who weren't very fertile. I am wondering, though, why she's bothered about the children. I mean, won't she have to make a deal with Eric anyway to allow them to walk the Pattern?"

Martin looked away.

"What?" I pressed. "If I'm going to negotiate for you, I need to know. Goddess knows what would have happened if you hadn't told me that your grandmother wasn't more interested in children than marriage."

He considered. "Okay. But, please, can you promise to keep what I'm telling you to yourself?"

"I promise."

*He's awfully naive, isn't he?*

"Rebma has a Pattern. That part isn't a secret. But it's not a complete Pattern, it's just a copy. You can't walk it to gain initiation to Pattern. I heard grandmother and Llewella talking about this when I was in Rebma's pattern room, contemplating just walking it anyway. Llewella said that Rebma's pattern had gotten stronger, and that if Rebma had one more pattern initiate then it might become real enough to gain initiation from. I'm not sure why, but she did seem very certain."

The pieces fell into place. "So she needs you to walk Amber's pattern, but wants your children to be attuned to Rebma's alone?"

He nodded.

"I see. Well, that certainly gives me a starting place."

"So you'll do this for me?" He didn't really seem to believe his luck.

"Sure. I'll need a few days to look some stuff up. Can you organise a meeting between me and Moire as your negotiator?"

"I'll do my best," and he turned and started to make his way to the door, before turning again and coming back to me to touch me briefly on the shoulder. "Thanks, Keri. This really means a lot to me."

I smiled at him. "No problem."

 

I spent the next couple of hours in the library, trying to round up some books on Rebman law and custom. I'd just about managed to organise them when I realised that I had to return to my rooms to prepare for Flora's visit. I just about had enough time to ask the librarian to store them for me before I had to rush off. I quickly changed and tried to make myself look halfway presentable, not easy when the kindest word you can use to describe yourself is 'stocky', and order refreshments when there was a gentle tapping at the door.

"Flora," I smiled. "Please, come in."

Flora returned my smile as she entered the room gracefully as a dream. "Keri. You look nice."

As Miss Pym had taught us, I waited for my guest to sit down before asking "Is there anything I can get you?"

"A light white wine, perhaps."

I looked to the servant hovering in the background, who bowed and disappeared off, before sitting down with a glass of water myself.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

I held up a hand. "So-so. I'm a lot better than yesterday, though. Apparently some things just take time to heal."

She nodded. "That's good to hear. Fiona still hasn't regained consciousness. It's nothing to worry about though, yet."

Four days unconscious wasn't anything to worry about? What had people been doing with power in the past? Then I thought 'Brand' and it made a certain amount of sense.

"How are you finding your new clothes?" she asked indicating the dress I was wearing.

"In all honesty, the dresses are adequate, but not much more."

"If you want, I'll get you an appointment with my personal outfitter. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what she can do."

The Assassin squeed inside my head.

"Thanks. I'm guessing that if I were to try and get an appointment with her, it'd take me a year or more."

The servant returned with the wine, and Flora took the opportunity to avoid replying, just smiling and sipping her drink.

I dismissed the servant. I didn't want to have any rumours spread about we talked about next.

"I don't know if Eric has told you, but he believes that I am your great-granddaughter."

She nodded. "He has his reasons."

"I've been doing a little research into the matter myself, and I don't think it's possible." Of course, various other aspects of the situation were equally impossible, such as how can someone bear their own next incarnation, but I wasn't going to go into that right now. "Your daughter, Juliet, disappeared around 140, 150 years ago in Amber time?" Flora nodded. "The person that I think was her daughter, a woman called Whisper, attended the Facility about 100 years ago." Of course, the reason I thought that she was Juliet's daughter because Benedict told me that, but Benedict seemed to be about 50 cards short of a deck. He also thought that I was Whisper's daughter. "I told you about her last time we met. I believe that she was caught up in the Merlin debacle about eighty years ago. I don't think that she survived. I'm sorry," I said as Flora's eyes glistened.

"That's alright," she said, dabbing at her eyes. "I just wish that I could have known her."

"She died well before I was born."

"You could have grown up in a slow time shadow."

"The shadow I grew up in ran at faster than normal time. I'm... sorry. I would have liked to have you for a great grandmother." Though I was still relieved that I had Lindsey as a mother.

"Eric performed some trump rituals. You have a connection to Juliet." Ah well, that was easy to explain, then. "You're her descendant."

"Can these tests be fooled?"

"I imagine in theory."

"Well I know that someone is trying to frame me for the assassination of Merlin." According to Llewella. Of course there was the slight fly in the ointment that I -- or at least Whisper -- had actually done it. "Assassins have already been sent after me once. As I said, Juliet's daughter was caught up in that event. Possibly whomever is trying to frame me is doing so by drawing connections between us."

Flora's gaze dimmed a little. "Are you sure?"

"As far as I can be."

"We should take the duchy away from you, then. It will only cause trouble."

"I know I've said this a lot, but I really am sorry."

"Don't be. Would you still like me, as a patron, if not an ancestress?"

"I would like you as a friend."

"Thank you." She reached out her hand, and I held it gently.

"Do you want to tell me about her?"

Flora smiled sadly. "She was much like you, always active. When she was your age, we had problems. I'm told that many teens go through it, but at the time it seemed so personal. It didn't help that she blamed me for her father leaving. We argued, a lot, but, slowly, things got better between us. Improved with distance, you might say, as we both spent a lot of time out of Amber. Then she started becoming distant. I could tell that she was hiding things from me, but I didn't want to press. One night I received a bird of desire from her, with a note saying that she needed to meet me, that there were things she needed to tell me. She asked me to meet her by the lighthouse at Cabra. She never showed. Eric and I searched for her, but she'd seemingly disappeared."

"Did you know that she was pregnant?"

"No. That was one of the things that she never told me. I wish I'd known. I would have been there for her, and maybe she'd still be alive today."

*Hug her. Please,* asked the Sorceress. After a moment's hesitation, I did so.

She relaxed into my arms. "Thank you."

She was so sad, it hurt me. I had to try and do something. "I never knew my grandparents. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to consider you an honorary grandmother."

"Thank you, Keri. I'd like that," she said, eyes glistening. "Now, if you don't mind, I feel like spending some time by myself." She rose to her feet, hugged me hard, then left.

 

The next morning there was a new plain note waiting for me from Flora:

'Dear Keri,  
I had to leave for Unification on official business. I have made arrangements for Valda to contact you to arrange a time where she can visit you and deal with your clothing problem. I hope that we can meet again upon my return.  
Best wishes,  
Flora'

Sure enough, there was a note on somewhat finer paper from someone called Valda:

'As a personal favour to Lady Florimel, I will personally visit you in your apartments this afternoon at 2 o'clock. I look forward to seeing you there.'

*Thinks a lot of herself, doesn't she?* the Princess commented.

I'll say. I felt a flicker of distress from the Assassin. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on missing the appointemnt.

*Thank you.*

 

I spent much of the morning in the library. In addition to teaching us a variety of customs, Miss Pym had impressed upon us that for important events, there was absolutely nothing like brushing up on local customs first. So that's where I started. Rebma was apparently a matriarchal and matrilineal society. There was a note to the effect that this was more true among the nobility than the common folk, but I was fairly sure that the queen of Rebma counted as nobility. One interesting thing I did discover was that Martin couldn't inherit the throne himself, however whomever married him likely would. Thus if he were to openly have affairs or leave his wife, that would have political consequences far beyond what the wife's family could bring to bear. Also of interest was that Moire's other main option was to adopt a child. This was what she was probably going to do in the event of a child out of wedlock. Finally I did manage to find out about a custom where sisters negotiated for their brothers. If a sister wasn't available, then a female relative could step in as an honorary sister. Unsurprisingly, this was mainly a custom among the nobility, but it didn't seem to be that uncommon. I wondered uneasily what else he might have forgotten to mention to me.

I was just starting to think about lunch when a servant came up to me.

"Your Grace?" Apparently the fact that I wasn't any more hadn't reached all quarters yet.

"Yes?"

"The Princess Fiona has awoken and would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience."

That was good news. I looked up at the ticking clock in the library (apparently clockwork did work in Amber). I still had a few hours until my appointment with Valda.

"Please, lead on," I said to the servant.

 

It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the dimness in Fiona's rooms. She looked awful. Almost transparent skin, deep lines under her eyes and hands that shook as they held a cup of that tea. I hoped that she'd recover from this stage as quickly as I had.

"Keri," she whispered. "You look like you're feeling better."

"Definitely better," I acknowledged. "Though I haven't been able to hear power since."

"That's not unexpected. I am reliably informed that the Pattern is still there and functional."

"That's good."

"I asked you to see you for several reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, I need to go through your perceptions of what happened."

She then proceeded to question me in great detail about exactly what I had seen, heard and felt during the attack on the Pattern. I did however omit the vision in my account. That wasn't her business.

"Thank you," she said, finally satisfied. "Now what was that you said about multiple people inside your head?"

I actually could speak about it now. I just wasn't sure that I wanted to. "I have... flashes. Of other people, other lives."

"Reincarnation," mused Fiona. "I have heard that they believe in it in Unification."

"I don't think so." Let's not open that can of worms. I might actually want to visit Unification at some point. "Some of these flashes have been shown things that didn't happen. I think that maybe these changes to the universe are creating alternate universes, and I am somehow getting flashes from people in these other universes." It was certainly a theory.

"Interesting," Fiona leaned forward. "How much information do you get from these 'flashes'? Full mind contact? Any thought transfer?"

I shrugged. "Just flashes. But that might be why I wasn't affected by that spell. The reality edits kind of just pass me by."

"Oh, this is fascinating," murmured Fiona. "I do wish that I was able to examine you properly at the moment." I felt rather like a specimen under a glass. "Does Brand know about this?"

I shook my head.

"Excellent. Let's just keep this a secret between us for now. Oh, and thinking of my dear brother, there was also an attack on the Logrus at more or less the same time as the assault on the Pattern."

I hoped that Hugh was alright.

"Apparently a member of House Helgram and Brand turned up and helped defeat the attack." I'd heard of House Helgram, though I'd never met a member of it to my knowledge. They prized themselves on being experts on power use. The book on logrus that Seraphina had give Broadway had been written by one. 

Oh, Seraphina. 

"I believe that you know Seraphina Helgram?" Fiona asked.

Helgram? I knew that Seraphina had never given me her last name, but... I nodded my head. "I worked for her in a clinic at the Facility," I said a little numbly.

"You'll be glad to know that they are both safe in the bosom of House Helgram, a little fatigued, but apparently better off than us." She shook her head. "I always knew Brand was a charmer, but I'd love to know how he pulled this one off."

What? "Charmer?"

She smiled, a little fondly. "He did always tend to go for the cerebral types."

"Him and Seraphina?" Pain washed over me. I mean, I'd always known somewhere deep inside that Seraphina didn't like me in that way, but...

"Oh, I don't know for certain," Fiona told me. "I'm just aware of how he thinks. Apparently he can have quite a devastating effects on women when he wants to."

Great. Just great. And I'd introduced them. Though, I guess, Seraphina still hated me anyway. "I hope they'll both be fine," I said numbly.

"I believe that Flora has dashed off to deal with the situation. I'm sure that we'll have *all* the details in no time." I didn't want them. "It does look good that they saved the Logrus, otherwise I'd imagine that we'd be at war. If there was still a Chaos to prosecute such a war."

I decided that I wanted to change the subject, quickly. "What about Bleys? Do you remember him now?"

Fiona was suddenly quiet as she looked down at her cup for a moment. "Yes."

I waited.

"He was my middle brother. Younger than me, older than Brand. Brand idolised him. When I said earlier that Brand could be charming, that was all patterned after his elder brother. Bleys was a lot of things, none of them constant. A dilettante. We both loved him, and even after he was erased, I can still easily trace the marks he left on our lives. After Oberon died, the rulership of Amber was up in the air for a while. Eric claimed the throne, and Bleys disputed that claim. He organised a coup, and failed. The last sighting for most of the family was him falling off Kolvir. We held a funeral for him. Then, a few months later, he contacted me, rambling something about the Halls of Ascension and Ascendants. He didn't make much sense. Then I, we just forgot he ever existed. Until you came along."

I decided not to mention that I might have pulled him back from whereever he'd gone. If he was truly back, I'm sure he could tell people himself.

Fiona looked at me seriously. "I don't say this lightly, but thank you, Keri. I owe you."

Um. Great. More attention focussed in my direction.

Fiona was also looking more than a little wrecked by this point. "I think you need to get some more sleep," I said a little nervously. By this point I just wanted to get away and think. Or not think. Whatever hurt less.

She smiled at me. "I fear you are right, child. Before you leave, can you fetch me some of this perfectly vile tea?"

I brought the pot over and refilled her cup.

She looked moodily into its depths. "I do sometimes wonder if they put something in this just to make it taste even worse," she said more sipping and grimacing. "I'll see you around, Keri."

I waved goodbye before quietly fleeing.

Seraphina and Brand. Just perfect.

 

A knock at my door disturbed my morose mood. I answered it to be confronted by a veritable wall of people, bearing all manner of packages. At the front of the pack was a middle aged woman with iron grey hair in a dark suit, who looked at me appraisingly.

"Uh, good afternoon?" I offered.

"Good afternoon. You are Keridwen A'Court?" I nodded. "I am Valda. I trust you received my message. Is there a problem?"

I shook my head, and she moved past me into the room, followed by the gaggle of people.

"Then let us begin. What kind of clothing are you looking for?" Valda retrieved a small notebook from inside her suit jacket.

"Some nice dresses, I guess. Maybe some othe smart clothes that allow a bit more freedom of movement?"

"What kind of occasions do you yourself using these clothes?"

"I've had a pile of invitations from various nobles. I imagine at some point I'll have to attend some of those functions. Maybe at some point there'll be a family function or two I have to go to. Mainly, I guess, I just want to look and feel good."

"Family?" she asked sharply.

"Yes, I'm a currently unacknowledged scion of the royal house."

"What are your colours?"

I looked blankly for a minute. "I guess I don't have them at the moment."

"Very well. At these events you are attending, do you want to stand out or blend in?"

Blending in was generally much more my style, but if I'm getting nice clothing, I might as well be noticed for it. In the worst case scenario, I always had the Princess. She *loved* being the centre of attention.

*You know me too well, dear sister.*

"Whichever works better. I'm not afraid to stand out."

"Excellent. You certainly have the potential to be striking, even if not conventionally pretty." Striking? That was the nicest way anyone had ever said 'stocky' to me. "It would be a shame to hide that. Please, walk across the room, as naturally as you can."

I complied, a little confused.

"Now walk back, but this time all eyes are on you, and you deserve it. Move to impress."

Uh, help?

*Allow me,* said the Princess.

"Good, good. Athletic, graceful, I can work with this. What weapons do you use?"

I blinked. "Weapons?"

"Don't tell me you're a member of royal house who can move like that who doesn't fight."

"I can fight, I guess. My only really formal weapons are daggers, I guess."

"Formal weapons?"

I shrugged. "I tend to use whatever is around. I also have a short handled axe, but that's more for nostalgia than anything else."

"We can certainly make some sets of clothing which you can hide daggers in. We can reinforce some parts of your outer clothing so you can either use them as impromptu shields or throw them at assailants as you wish. I imagine that you won't have any problems with the extra weight."

Well, as long as it wasn't too excessive. I hadn't mentioned my favourite tactic of running away.

*Weapons and pretty clothes!* enthused the Assassin. She was in love.

"Now we've got some of the basics out of the way, let's see how some of these styles suit you."

And so started a long session of Valda marshalling her people with a military-like precision to retrieve the exact pieces of clothing she desired from amongst the many boxes they had brought with them, holding the clothes against my body and comparing and contrasting with relayed helpful comments from the Assassin. Despite her almost child-like love of clothes, I didn't see her choices make Valda wince, which I was sure my own would have done. Valda made almost continuous notes in the small book, only occasionally pausing before adding something else. Finally, it was over.

"Working with you was a pleasure, Keridwen."

"Likewise, Valda. Thank you for taking the time to meet me." It had definitely been a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

"It was the least I could do. I'll send the clothes around as and when they're finished." And with a nod, she and her congregation were off, leaving the Assassin to hum happily herself in my head.


	29. Chapter 29

I'd done as much research on Rebman protocol and customs as the Amber library and the couple of days allowed. I'd convinced Martin to introduce me as his honorary sister. (Granted that hadn't been too hard - "Do you want me to negotiate for you?" "Yes..." "Then introduce me as your honorary sister.") I'd even managed to get Valda to deliver one of the formal gowns a little early. I had thought that I was pretty much ready for my meeting with the Queen of Rebma.

I stood at the sea's edge, looking down the underwater steps, then back up at Martin (who, I might add, was wearing considerably less than the court clothes I was used to). "We have to walk down there?" I queried again.

"Yes," he looked at little surprised. "What's the problem?"

"We have to go underwater?"

"Didn't you know?"

"No one told me. No one even hinted." Actually, now that I came to think about it, Eric had said something about Rebma being under the waves. I just hadn't realised that he was being so *literal.*

He shrugged. "I guess that they thought that you already knew."

"Well I didn't!" I have to admit that my voice may have been a little shrill.

"Don't worry. The water around the staircase and Rebma itself is magical. It'll be fine."

I looked at it again. It didn't *look* magical. I still couldn't hear power, so I couldn't confirm it that way. "You'd better be right," I said with a certain amount of threat in my voice.

"Come on," he took my hand and led me down the staircase and into the water.

"Just open your mouth and breathe," he told me calmingly as I started to go red.

I forced my mind to stop telling me this was a really *bad* idea and opened my mouth. I didn't choke. That was a good thing.

"See, not so bad?" he smiled at me. "Now let's hurry down. I'd like to show you some of the sights before the meeting with my grandmother."

It was then that the other problem became oh-so-very evident. As I walked down, the bottom of my dress kept floating up, despite any and all efforts to hold it down.

*You could always go back,* the Princess said smugly.

And miss my appointment with the Queen? No, I couldn't. I just hoped that she didn't hear about this before we met.

Martin was walking besides me, chatting away, quite oblivious to my distress (and my blushes) as we slowly approached the sparkling lights of the city. It was possibly just that obliviousness that saved him. A single smirk and I would have killed him.

I was walking down the staircase flashing Rebma.

 

My humiliation faded a little once we reached the bottom. Thankfully there was no crowd of fascinated onlookers, as my worst imaginings had persuaded me. And once I was no longer descending, it became somewhat easier to control my dress. Now I just looked like a mildly enraged jellyfish. Great. Concentrating for a second, I finally managed to get my cheeks under control.

"Martin!" I hissed. "How could you do this to me?"

"Do what to you?"

"This!" I gestured to my clothing. "You know this place. Didn't ever strike you as at least mildly inappropriate?"

"You said that you'd looked everything up and were ready. I just assumed that you knew what you were doing."

"I think that we've already covered the fact that I didn't know Rebma was underwater. The books in the library weren't exactly forthcoming on Rebman fashions, so I just went for something that looked good, because this is supposed to be Amber's sister city. After all, how different could it be?" I injected all the sarcasm I was capable of into the last sentence.

Martin blinked. "I'm sorry. I'm really not up on female fashion."

"Well there's *no* way I'm going to see your grandmother like this. If you want me to negotiate for you, find me someone who is."

"My friend Caitlin runs a clothes shop. Follow me," and he moved off towards the city. I followed in his wake, dress billowing around me.

My first experience of Rebma, and everyone was going to be laughing at me.

 

It has to be said that my first impression of the people of Rebma was what they were not. In this case, what they specifically were not was wearing much in the way of clothing. The average Rebman seemed to wear generally just some swimming trunks. The women as well as the men. Worse, whilst some wore a little more, some wore distinctly less. The sight of parts floating free quickly became acutely embarrassing, and I decided to mostly keep my eyes on the floor. Maybe I wasn't cut out for life beneath the waves.

The *only* good news is that the average costume around here revealed more than I had shown on the way down. So at least now I knew why no one had paid attention to me. They just didn't care.

*Watchers.* the Assassin said.

Alarm cut through my embarrassment. A couple of Rebman men were casually walking some distance behind us. They were armed with knives, though that wasn't precisely uncommon down here. And they were definitely interested in us. Just following for the moment. Martin didn't seem to have noticed, but he had mentioned that Moire liked to keep a close eye on him. Hopefully these were just her men. I slipped a hand on my own knife. It'd be a shame to destroy the dress, but Valda had given me instructions about how divest myself of the impractical parts quickly if there was need. I kept my eyes open for an ambush, but nothing materialised by the time we reached his friend's shop.

Martin entered in front of me, calling out "Caitlin!" He walked straight past someone lurking in the shadows, completely overlooking them. The Assassin had already palmed the knife ready to throw when I saw that the figure was an attractive athletic blue haired woman maybe about twenty, dressed in a full swimsuit, teal eyes dancing with mischief, one finger raised to her mouth.

No, I told the Assassin.

The Assassin relaxed without an argument as the woman pounced on Martin from behind, hugging him tightly. Martin practically leaped from his skin. "Heya!" she said, kissing him. "How's things?" Without waiting for an answer, she released him and turned in my direction. "And who's this?" There was something in her voice that made me disturbed, yet kind of weirdly happy at the same time. I hugged myself with one arm, unsure how I should react.

*Come on,* the Princess said. *She is obviously interested in you. Return the favour. I can give you a simple five step guide if you want.*

Shut up! If I want your advice I'll ask for it.

The Princess subsided. I could feel that she was a little hurt, but she really wasn't helping.

Martin struggled (mostly unsuccessfully) to regain his dignity. "Hi Caitlin. Aside from being viciously assaulted, I'm fine."

"It was a hug!"

"As I said." He held his ribs, wincing exaggeratedly.

Caitlin gave an unrepentant smirk. "You can be so pathetic on occasion."

Martin looked like he was going to argue, then apparently thought better of it. "Anyway, this is my cousin, Keri. Keri, this is my friend Caitlin. Appearances to the contrary, she actually can behave like an adult on occasion." Caitlin stuck her tongue out at him. He attempted a glower, but the expression melted into an fond grin. "Apparently, this is not that occasion."

Caitlin retracted her tongue (Shut up, Princess! *But I didn't say anything!* You were thinking it.) and turned that appraising look on me again. "I take it she's an upstairs kind of cousin."

"What do you think?"

"With that colouration, I guess that she'd have to be," I froze as she raised one finger towards my face, and she dropped it again. "Sorry. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"*Someone*," I said, "Didn't tell me anything about appropriate clothing before we set off, hence the jellyfish look," I gestured indicating myself, "Once the... limitations of my outfit became evident, he suggested that we come here for some more appropriate attire."

"Martin!" she said with fond exasperation. "I can't believe that you did this to your cousin." She held up a hand to forestall whatever protest he might make, keeping her eyes on me. They really were very, very blue. "So, what kind of clothing are you looking for?"

"Something formal. I'm supposed to be meeting the Queen in the not too distant future."

She gave a low whistle, looking impressed. "The old shark herself. Castle chic it is, then." She considered for a moment or two, and then flashed me a brilliant smile. "I can do that. Now, strip."

"What?"

*Yes!*

Shut up, Princess!

"Strip off your old clothing in the changing area," she indicated a space not so much curtained off as marked by shell arrangements. "I'll take some measurements, and we'll see what I have that's suitable."

"Is there a partition?" I asked hopefully, ignoring a certain person's disappointed sigh.

Caitlin looked a little confused. "What for?"

I flushed.

"You look so cute when you do that," she teased. I blushed harder. "Don't worry,"she relented, "I'll make sure that Martin doesn't look." Martin, still looking a little puzzled, obediently turned away. "I won't either."

I relaxed with a sigh.

"Much," she added.

I shot her a look, which might have been slightly ruined by the blush. She shrugged unrepentantly and smirked at me, before looking away. I turned my back on the pair of them and wriggled out of the dress as quickly as I could. Not quite able to make my hands let go of the fabric, I clutched it tightly to my body like a shield. "Ready," I called. I felt inordinately proud of the fact that my voice didn't waver in the slightest. Even the blush was gone. That state of affairs didn't last long.

"I don't see why you were hiding all that cloth," Caitlin mused, looking me up and down. "You've got a very nice body."

Feeling the by now familiar crimson in my cheeks, I just looked at the floor. I wanted to tell her that she looked nice too, but I didn't really know how.

"Leave her alone, Caitlin," Martin said. "Sorry, Keri, she flirts like this with everyone."

Despite the horrendous embarassment, I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted her to leave me alone.

"Just my friends. And any friend of Martin's is a friend of mine." She smiled fondly at him and ruffled his hair. "Still, just say if you want me to stop." She waited for a second as I locked up, not knowing what I wanted to say, then grinned wickedly. "I'll take that as permission then."

If this carried on, I was going to burst a blood vessel in my cheeks.

"Clothes," reminded Martin.

"Ah, yes, my job." She looked with a certain amount of pride around at her shop. "I've a few items that I think might fit with a little adjustment. I still need to take your measurements, though," and she advanced on me with a tape measure. "I'm afraid that you're going to have to put your old clothes down."

Oh great.

To take my mind off her being distractingly close to my almost naked body (I had retained my knickers and bra) I observed: "Martin said that this was your shop."

"Yes, he helped me set this up by loaning me the money."

"I tried to give it to you," he muttered from across the room.

"As I said, he loaned me the money to start it up. It's a little hard, getting it off the ground and letting people know about it, but I'm getting there, with a bit of luck."

"I've heard that rubbing a scion of Amber can give good luck," I said, then clamped my hand over my mouth as Caitlin's eyes lit up and Martin just looked horrified. "I didn't mean that how it sounded. I *really* didn't mean that how it sounded," I mumbled through my hand. I could almost see where the thought process had come from, but that still didn't explain how it had managed to reach my mouth without my brain managing to filter it. I wished that I could blame one of my sisters for this, but it was all me. Oh goddess.

*Somewhat more blunt than the tack I would have used, but you're definitely getting there,* the Princess commented.

Not helping. Really not helping.

Caitlin looked towards Martin. "I'm leaving now," he said. "I have to... I'll be back later, when Keri's ready to go visit Moire," and he rapidly exited the shop. Coward.

With Martin's escape, Caitlin was eying me speculatively. "You're a scion of Amber too, aren't you?"

"Um... I... just..." I said eloquently, flushing for all I was worth.

*So, you're not imagining her rubbing against you?*

I wished that the ground would just swallow me up, leaving not a trace.

"I know I've been teasing you," Caitlin said, abruptly turning serious. "I am sorry if I've been making you feel uncomfortable."

"It's not that," I said, firmly looking at her feet. "I'm not... It's just that I don't know what I'm feeling. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it. I'm not saying that I'm not uncomfortable, but I'm not saying that I'm not enjoying it. I don't know."

She looked questioningly at me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I nodded miserably, sure that she'd think I was a complete freak.

She went over to the door and changed the sign to closed. "There, now let's go into the back." She led me, once more clutching my dress like a shield (or a security blanket), into a small sitting room/kitchen area. "Would you like a drink?" She looked a little uncertain. "I'm afraid the selection isn't as good as you're used to."

"You'd probably be surprised."

"Cilthia juice or would you like some blue wine?"

I didn't think the addition of alcohol could improve this situation any. Especially if I was supposed to meeting Moire in the not too distant future. "Juice, please."

She went to one of the cupboards and opened it, revealing a more or less spherical bubble of a greenish liquid. With what looked like a hand gesture she managed to divide off first one then a second hand sized bubble, and bring them over.

"Here," she said, handing me one bubble. To my surprise the bubble had a texture, a little like plastic only smoother. "Now there's a trick to drinking from these. Let me show you," she said demonstrating.

I could honestly say that I would never have thought of that. It worked, though.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

I blushed, and my gaze immediately hit the floor.

"I'm up here," she said gently. I sneaked a quick look. She didn't look like she would eat me. I walled off the incoming comment from the Princess that I could just sense arriving. "You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to."

"I think I want to." I took a deep breath, then let it out. Where to start? I guessed that the beginning seemed like as good a place as nay. "I think I had a fairly normal life up until I was about twelve. Then the invaders came and killed pretty much everyone."

"Keri," her eyes filled with concern.

I waved a hand. "It happened. I survived. I didn't really have anyone to talk to. I think I was fifteen when I changed worlds and managed to find my mother again. An alternate version of her, anyway. And I was happy. For a few months, until I was kidnapped and taken to a place for kids with special talents."

"That's awful."

"I wasn't too thrilled about it myself. I had friends, though. People I considered my sisters. They helped me, kept me sane in many ways. But I've started developing feelings. I'm not sure what they mean, or what I'm supposed to do. Everyone else seemed to know what to do, and they seemed to think that I did too. It doesn't help that one of my friends is constantly on at me to have sex. I don't really know what sex is and I don't want to be rushed." I buried my head in my arms and tried to find the words to express my tangled emotions.

*Is this true?* the Sorceress asked me.

Yes! I didn't want to be pushed into anything. I didn't know what I did want, but I didn't want that.

*We will have words, Princess,* the Sorceress said.

*I didn't know,* she protested. *I thought that she knew all this stuff. I thought *everyone* did.*

*You are the one who prides herself on dealing with people. You should have known. And if you did not, then you should have helped Keri, not pushed her further into her shell on the subject.*

*I'm sorry,* the Princess told me. *I really didn't know how you felt about it.*

*We will have words,* the Sorceress said. *Later.*

This still didn't leave me any closer to actually figuring out what I actually did think. And Caitlin was waiting. "I... just... I don't know, I want to know what's going on with me."

I felt arms around me and froze, stopping the Assassin from doing anything. I felt the arms withdraw and felt a little bereft. "Sorry," Caitlin said. "I'm something of a hugger."

I didn't feel up to explaining the Assassin, so I said "I did appreciate it. Really. Just not used to it."

"That's something that we can rectify," the teasing note back in her voice. "If you want," she added more matter of factly.

I smiled into the dress. "I guess it'd be a shame to waste the opportunity."

"Keri! That was definitely flirting." She laughed. "I approve." I felt her arms once again encircle me, a little cautiously. This time it just felt nice.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"Don't start thanking me for hugging you," she said lightly. "The next thing you know you'll be thanking me for flirting with you, and then where will we be?"

"Might do that anyway. After all, I can't believe that anyone else would flirt with me."

"As attractive as you are, I can't believe that." I think I must have made a disbelieving sound because she continued "Oh you're not a conventional beauty, but you're well proportioned, fit and certainly not unpleasing to the eye." A note of mischief entered her voice. "Plus, you're just too cute when you blush." She pressed down on the fabric of the dress so she could see my face. "Just like that!"

"Um..." I was cute?

"But don't let anyone push you into anything that you're not ready for. Even your friends. Don't feel like you have to do anything. You only get to be this way once."

"And you're having too much fun watching me?" I peeked up at her.

"Something like that." She grinned. "Now, weren't you here for a reason?"

"I needed some proper clothing. Formal, Rebman style."

"Given your reactions so far, I take that it wouldn't help to note that you're perfectly properly dressed already, if a little monochrome?"

I blushed again. I was not going to meet the Queen in my underwear.

"I thought not. The good news for you is that Rebman 'high society' considers wearing no clothing to be awfully lower class, and the amount you're wearing to be middle class at best. The upper classes tend to wear somewhat more, like a suit that covers your entire torso."

I guess that I could live with that. "Does that mean that you're upper class?" I asked indicating her suit that covered just that.

She stiffened for a second, then jerked her head in a shaking motion. "No, I'm the daughter of some of the serving class. Absolutely nothing noble about my blood, or even middle class." She brushed her side with one hand, almost unconsciously.

"So, what colours and style do you think would suit me best?" I said, changing the subject quickly.

Her face lit up as she started to talk about the clothes, almost taking my breath away. It was an effort to make myself settle down and listen properly so I could make intelligent comments. Okay, so I could let the Assassin make intelligent comments. I wasn't too sure I was up to intelligent at the moment.

 

"Have you two finally finished?" Martin asked as he entered the shop. "We do have an appointment with the Queen of Rebma sometime soon." Caitlin pounced on him and gave him a kiss as I waved a greeting. He squawked and took a step backwards. "Do you have to do that every time we meet?" he asked, a long suffering note in his voice.

She shrugged. "Yes."

"Do I dare ask what you've been doing to my cousin whilst I've been gone?"

I blushed.

"Probably not," he concluded. "Am I going to have to challenge you for her honour?" He seemed half serious.

"I'm perfectly capable of looking after my own honour," I interjected.

"Sorry. It's just that Caitlin can be more than a little pushy."

He was looking at me, so I think that he missed the slightly hurt look that crossed Caitlin's face.

"She's been nothing but nice to me," I said firmly.

"Really? You are slipping," he said to Caitlin.

"I'm just lulling her into a false sense of security," she claimed airily, her cheerful expression back in place. "And, yes, we are finished. As you might be able to tell by her clothing."

He looked in my direction. "Um... looks nice."

"Don't worry. I'm charging it to your account." It had been a little embarrassing when I had remembered that I didn't have any money. I was really not used to needing it any more, just being able to summon it with Pattern. And before that, I'd been hanging around in places where you didn't need it for one reason or another.

He opened his mouth as if to argue, but then closed it again. I got the impression he'd learned better than to argue with Caitlin. At least, not in front of witnessess. He looked back towards me. "Good. Then let's get you away before you're further molested."

Caitlin stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his tongue out at her. The Princess didn't comment. It was the loudest 'not-comment' I'd ever heard.

"Thanks," I smiled at Caitlin as I walked to the door. "Thanks for everything."

She put her arms around me, slowly enough that I could get away if I wanted to. I hardly froze at all this time. She lowered her head to mine briefly, before obviously consciously stopping and raising it again. "It's no problem. You will be stopping by again at some point? I have to hear how the meeting with the old shark went."

"Sure." I'd love to meet up with you again.

Mustering all my courage, I went up on my tiptoes and gently kissed her. It felt nice. Confusing, but nice.

Her eyes widened a little before she smiled and kissed me back a little more forcefully. My first kiss and the first time I had been kissed, if you didn't count kisses from Lindsey. And this was definitely *not* a Lindsey kiss.

I blushed.

"So cute," she murmured and then released me.

"Stop corrupting my cousin," complained Martin.

Caitlin just grinned wickedly at him.

As I left the shop with Martin, he was looking at me a little warily, as if he were expecting me to pounce on him at any moment. When the threat failed to materialise, he relaxed a little, confidently taking the lead. "The castle of Rebma, coming up."

As we left the shop and walked down the street, his tail, whom I had *completely* forgotten about, continued to follow us. I silently berated myself.

Maybe I wasn't ready for all these complicated emotions.

 

Moire's cold green eyes looked at me levelly before returning to her grandson.

"Martin. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to introduce Keridwen A'Court, my honorary sister." Martin was keeping nicely to the script I'd briefed him on before this meeting. I just hoped that my research hadn't missed any other slight holes.

Moire looked towards me again, this time with eyes narrowed. "You are aware of what you are saying?" She sounded, well, dubious was the most polite way I could put it.

"Yes." I had gone through the ramifications with him. I did want him to understand exactly how much power over his life he was potentially granting me. The fact that he had accepted this after only knowing me for a few days somewhat disturbed me. "I believe that she wanted to talk with you about certain matters."

"Really."

"If I might have your leave to depart, grandmother?" Martin asked.

She nodded. "It sounds like your sister and I will have much to discuss."

Martin bowed and then walked quickly out of the room.

"Well, Keridwen A'Court. What would you like to talk about?"

"Honoured grandmother," her eyes flickered just a little as I used the Rebman term, "I believe that you are in the middle of arranging a marriage for my brother."

"In matters of state, such things are necessary."

"But you're not seeking a specific alliance, are you?"

She just looked at me, neither confirming nor denying my statement.

"My brother would not be happy in such an arrangement."

"Martin knows where his duty lies."

"He does now, but even the strongest feelings could erode with a centuries long loveless marriage. And your successor, his wife, would be weakened, politically, if he were to just disappear off into shadow or conduct affairs."

"What are you suggesting?" she asked neutrally.

"I have an alternative. But before we discuss it, I'd like make a bargain, honoured grandmother," I said, emphasising that I was talking to her as 'family' rather as a queen.

"Go ahead."

"I believe that my suggestion is a superior one. The bargain is that, if I tell you, and you decide to use it, then Martin doesn't get forced into an arranged marriage."

She thought. "This would be... acceptable. But I won't be in any way bound to accept this alternative."

"Of course not," I assured her, before continuing "In my world, there were ways that people could have children without a man and woman necessarily meeting. They could gather his seed," some examination of my biology lessons upon reflection had presented this as a far more likely explanation, "and use it to fertlise a woman. They used it for, among other reasons, to help fertility," I think, "which, considering," what Martin had told me about, "the fertility of the scions of Amber could only be a good thing." And Moire could adopt any children of Martin as her own, allowing her to control the succession rather than having to choose someone not of her family.

"Interesting. What did you call this process?"

I hadn't. I *had* spent a night with a dictionary trying to piece together my vague memories with the most likely sounding name. I was, however, fairly sure that Facial Senation was not correct, despite what my childhood self had thought. I took a breath and said my best guess. "Artificial fertilisation." I just hoped that it sounded convincing. Still, different worlds presumably called it different things.

She nodded. "I will ask Llewella to look into this. If it proves viable, then I'll certainly consider it, and do what is best for Rebma."

"Rebma would be best served by a Martin who feels at peace with himself."

"I can decide what is best for Rebma by myself." I flinched as her tone metaphorically flensed skin from my bones. "However, I can arrange for any marriage he takes part in to have certain... flexibilities built into the contract."

It was that easy? Hadn't Martin tried to talk to Moire *at all*? "Thank you, honoured grandmother. There is another matter, one smaller in scope. Martin is feeling trapped, like he can't escape your influence. It might be best if he could be allowed to have some rein, at least until he can walk the Pattern."

She narrowed her eyes. "Those guards are there for his own protections. As my only heir, as well as a scion of Amber, you must understand that there are those who would like to see him removed, both within Rebma and without. Unfortunately, I am not speaking about potential threats. Actual assassination attempts have been foiled."

Sadly, having witnessed Martin's general awareness of his surroundings, I could believe that he hadn't noticed any of this. "I'm surprised that you haven't given him training."

"My grandson shows a remarkable talent to only learn what he wants to. He is an accomplished duellist, but otherwise..." she shrugged. "Maybe you could have a word with him."

"I'll see what I can do."

"He seems to have chosen well, making you his honorary sister."

Uh... "Thank you, honoured grandmother."

"You would make any mother proud. I almost wish that I could adopt you." I choked a little and she smiled. "Almost."

"I'm flattered." But there was no way anyone was putting me on a throne. I had enough problems of my own already.

"To be honest, his good judgment surprised me a little."

The Princess had already cynically pointed out that keeping Martin at least somewhat naive would make him *so* much easier to control, so I merely raised an eyebrow and said "Maybe he should have had better lessons."

She tilted her head, acknowledging the point. "I might assume that he will have better tuition from now on." She didn't make the prospect sound like something that she was looking forward to, .

"I'll see what I can do. I don't really have time for full time lessons, in either security or politics. One would hope that he could be provided with decent tutors who could teach him the basics. Especially if he will be dealing with his relatives from Amber."

She smiled coldly. "I believe that we can come to an arrangement. If you can supply him with the motivation." She looked down at the papers on her desk meaningfully.

I took the hint. "Thank you for your time, honoured grandmother. I will relay the results of our discussion to my brother."

 

"She agreed?" Martin sounded like he couldn't believe his ears.

"Well, she said that she'd look into it. And if she thought it was a better option, she agreed that she would call off the wedding plans. She did say that, even if the wedding goes ahead, she could put some flexibility into the contract." Martin would still have to make children, but there would hopefully be room for love too.

"I still can't believe that she said yes."

Martin was still apparently having problems actually hearing what I was saying. I sighed. I'd try to explain again later.

"We talked about some other things, too. Apparently the suffocating grasp of your grandmother had a lot to do with stopping the assassination attempts against you."

Martin focussed on me for the first time since I'd given him the news. "What assassination attempts?" I resisted the urge to say something snarky. "I'd have noticed something like that."

"Really?" I didn't share his confidence. "Without looking, how many exits are there to this room?"

He thought. "Three."

"Wrong. Seven. Windows count. Assassin can get in. You can get out. Assassins comes in through that door." I pointed "Too many to easily fight. Which exit do you leave through?"

"Uh" That one." He pointed to the opposite doorway.

"Nice try, but that corridor is exposed to fire from the assassins in this room. I’m distracting you for another assassin. Where is he most likely to be coming from?"

Martin’s eyes flicked around. As soon as he looked away, I launched a palm strike towards his throat, bringing it to a halt just before hitting flesh. He froze.

"Rule one. Never take your eyes off any assassin."

He gulped. I felt his adam’s apple slide against my palm before I withdrew my hand. "You know a lot about this," he whispered.

I shrugged. "I have a friend with training in this area. She taught me a few things. If your grandmother is correct, you need to get some full time training done so you can look after yourself. I can give you a few pointers, especially once you’ve had a few lessons, but I don’t really have time to do it all myself."

"I’ll definitely think about it."

"Do so." I smiled at him. "I’m reliably informed that you’re far too good looking to die. We also talked about getting you some lessons on how you could do the negotiating yourself next time."

He looked trapped. "Really?"

I shrugged. "If you don't, people will take advantage of you. It's your choice." Well, actually, he had given me the power to make decisions on his behalf, but I wasn't going to sacrifice our friendship over this.

He held his arm out to me. "Would my sister like to be escorted back to Amber?"

"Well, maybe we could swing by Caitlin's shop on the way back." Martin gave me an amused look. "What?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

 

"How did the meeting with Moire go?" Caitlin asked after pouncing on and kissing both Martin and me. I had managed to mostly avoid freezing, and only blushed a bit at the kiss.

"She's managed to get me off the hook!"

"Wow." Caitlin looked at me with respect.

"She managed to get Moire to consider other options," I corrected, lowering my hand from touching the spot she'd kissed me.

"Still, it's good news. Martin's had this hanging over him forever. The old shark seemed intractable."

"The difficult concession of her agreeing that, in the event of marriage, a certain latitude could be built into the contract was perilously negotiated by the apparently unheard of tack of talking to her," I said drily.

"Martin!" Caitlin rolled her eyes at him.

"She never seemed that reasonable when I talked to her," he protested.

I raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you - never mind. Hopefully your tutors can go into that in the lessons I asked Moire for."

"I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to go to them."

"Lessons? In what?" Caitlin asked me.

"Survival skills for a prince. Including things like politics and promises." And more mundane survival skills, like how to spot assassins.

"Oh, come on, Martin. You so need those kind of lessons. Besides, one of your tutors might be cute."

Martin stuck his tongue out, looking disgusted. "Have you ever *seen* the tutors Moire tends to assign to me?"

"On which subject, now that you haven't got an arranged marriage hanging over your head, you haven't got an excuse not to get back into the dating pool."

I smiled as she teased him, but mostly remained quiet; apart from when she turned her teasing in my direction, and generally acted affectionately enough towards me to set off all kinds of interesting and confusing feelings. (Well, she acted affectionately towards both of us really, but there seemed to be something different in the way she treated me. That could have been my imagination, though. After the Sorceress' Words, the Princess was generally keeping a low profile and not commenting, despite many obvious opportunities. This was definitely a subject that she was keeping quiet on.)

I used the opportunity to compare how Caitlin and Seraphina made me feel. Which, honestly, wasn't that similar at all. In general, Seraphina was an oasis of calm who just made me feel happy when I was around her. That had been pretty much true from when I had first met her, tending Jenny. I had only just met Caitlin, but she had provoked all kinds of feelings, not just the safe and happy kinds. She made me want things I didn't really know how to name; feelings that scared me and made me want to run away and feelings that made me want to stay here and bask in her presence. Occasionally other girls had made me feel like this, a little bit, but in those cases we'd never really talked, and I was never actually certain whether or not there was any interest on their end, the Princess' comments to the contrary. Caitlin had just barged through my reserve without so much as a by-your-leave. She'd even called me cute and attractive! (Though it did make me worry for her sanity.) In short, I was a mess, and just being around her made me lose awareness of my surroundings. I wanted to talk about this with her, but there was absolutely no way I was going to do this with Martin there. Maybe some time to myself to just think would help.

"You can't just wall yourself away because you're afraid that men will just be after you so they can use you, or your position. The right man's out there. You've just got to find him!" Caitlin had become empassioned in her little speech. Martin was looking harried.

"Wasn't it you who said that you shouldn't let your friends push you into anything that you're not ready for?" I interjected. I was sure that Caitlin had meant only the best, but it was getting a little close to how the Princess had pushed me for my comfort.

Martin looked at me gratefully and possibly a little speculatively as if wondering how that subject had come up.

"Sorry, Martin," Caitlin apologised. "I guess I was getting a little overenthusiastic there."

"No problem, Caitlin." He smiled at her to show that there were no hard feelings. "Anyway, I'd better get my cousin back to Amber before the family misses her."

And, after another round of hugging and kissing (which I was starting to get used to), we left.


	30. Chapter 30

"Hi Keri." Caitlin came around the counter and hugged and kissed me. (I only froze a little.) "Come to buy some more clothes?" she asked.

"I was actually hoping for some moral support" I replied after a brief bout of blushing. "But I'll window shop at the same time if you want. I do have cash today." I held up a purse. Talking to Eric's secretary, I'd found that each family member had a bursary that they could use whilst in Amber, and that, although I wasn't properly family yet, Eric had decided to grant it to me for the time being anyway 'for injuries sustained in the defence of Amber.'

"I'm fine with just providing moral support, as long as you understand that customers will always come first."

"Naturally."

It was the next day and I had decided to stop procrastinating about a task I really needed to do at some point soon.

"So, why do you need the support?"

"One of my 'aunts' would like to meet me. Llewella," I said, more than a trace of nervousness in my voice.

"You had no qualms facing Moire yesterday, but a visit to her allegedly quiet and placid sister has you fretting?" she said raising an eyebrow.

"It's complicated. Family stuff. But mainly I just find her creepy," I confessed. For so many reasons.

"I can sympathise with having to go and visit a relative I don't really want to."

For a brief, mad second, I wanted to confide everything in her, to let it all out, but sanity returned. "Enough about Llewella. It isn't as though talking about her is going to make the visit any better. And I really do have to visit her."

"Excuse me a moment," she said, as a man came into the shop. "Hey, Mark," she said smiling. I noted that she didn't go over to hug and kiss him. Apparently he wasn't that good a friend.

*Her smile's a little strained,* the Princess noted. *Nervous, maybe?*

I relaxed into a stance where I could be ready to intervene if necessary.

"Hey, Caitlin," he replied, also smiling. "Have you got the costume ready?"

*His is looking a little off too. Nervous too? Different tenor, though.*

Okay, now I was confused.

"Sure," she said, reaching beneath her counter and taking out a wrapped package. "Here you are," she said handing it to him. As he took it, they touched, briefly, his expression flashing to a grimace of disgust. He flinched away from her, obviously struggling to bring his features back into a blandly pleasant smile.

"Thanks, that's great," he said rapidly, putting a little more distance between them. Throwing some money on the counter, he turned and swam away as quickly as he could. Caitlin was left looking after him, expression shattered.

I changed the sign on the door to closed. She didn't object.

"Hey, Caitlin. What's wrong?" I asked. I tentatively held out my arms. Caitlin flinched and bit her lip.

I dropped my arms again. I wasn't good at this kind of thing.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I'll be fine," she said in a low voice, convincing no one.

"Uh, do you want me to leave?"

She looked at me a little desperately. "Do you want to go?"

*Do not reply yes to that question,* the Princess said.

"No, not really," I tried smiling a little at her. It got a twitchy response. "I just don't know if you want me here."

"I think I'd like you to stay." She fell silent. There didn't really seem to be much I could say to that, so I just stayed quiet with her. Suddenly she hugged me hard (I did freeze), and I could feel her body shake. "Sorry," she said after a few more minutes. "I'm not usually like this, honest."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I guess that you should know," she said bitterly, releasing me from the hug and moving away. "I had an accident. A bad one. I almost died. Some people would rather that I had," she muttered to herself before continuing "The accident left..." She hesitated, having to swallow hard before continuing. "It left disfiguring scars."

I waited for her to continue, but she just looked away from me. I hugged her, and she was the one to freeze, before relaxing. "Is that it?"

"Isn't it enough?" she said miserably. "I'm deformed, imperfect."

"I still think that you're attractive," I said then blushed.

"Really? You're not disgusted?"

I shrugged. "The school I went to had humanoid spiders for librarians," I may have shuddered a little remembering them, "and one of my friends, Seraphina, looked like she was made out of crystal." I smiled at the memory, before it faltered a little at the remembrance of how I'd last seen her. "In any case, having a scar doesn't make you less of a person."

"It does around here," Caitlin muttered. Then she turned her attention back to me. "Seraphina, huh. Was she pretty?"

"In the right light, she glowed like the sun."

"And you had a crush on her."

"What?"

"Oh come on, it's obvious."

"Really?" Oh goddess, please let it just have been her that realised that.

"Yes." She said it as if stating an objective truth. "So, did you ever ask her out? Are you together? Give!" Caitlin seemed to have forgotten her earlier upset with the prospect of gossip. Even gossip about people she didn't know.

"I may have had a crush," I allowed. "But, no, I never did ask her out. She wouldn't have been interested anyway. I was much too young for her. And the last time I saw her, we had a really big argument."

At my last sentence, a shadow fell over Caitlin's face. "You've got to go talk to her, and make it right." She sounded as though she were going to drag me to Seraphina's side right now.

"I can't. Really!" I said to Caitlin's sceptical look. "She's somewhere I can't get to at the moment." Not to mention it stood a fair chance of causing a war even if I did. "And, anyway, I don't think she'd want to see me."

"If she's actually your friend, then she at least owes you a chance to hear you out." She sounded adamant on the subject.

"This sounds... personal to you."

Caitlin's gaze turned inwards. "I had an argument with someone special. She died before we could make up. It's not something I want to happen to anyone else, especially no one I like as much as you."

I hugged her again, to try and help with the sadness in her voice. She smiled a little at me.

"I'm serious. Please, promise me that you'll try and see her."

I guessed that I'd been planning on that sooner or later anyway. "Okay, promise. When I get a chance to see her." I was quiet for a moment. "I know someone who might be able to talk to your friend."

"Really?" Her voice was filled with a mixture of hope and disbelief.

"There were a lot of kids with weird abilities at the Facility. One of them could sometimes talk to ghosts. I don't if they'll be able to do it in this case, and I won't be able to see them for a while in any case, but I can ask."

It looked like she was crying as she hugged me again. "If I could speak to her again... Thank you, Keri."

"It's no problem. Really."

She cleared her throat and stood back. "Good. Now that we've got the serious subjects out of the way, I feel that I should fill you in on some of the dirt about Martin."

"Only some?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, if I gave you *all* the good stuff now, then how I would lure you back to my shop again?"

I blushed. "I'm sure that you have your ways."

Her smile dimpled. "Good, now turn that sign back around, and act as shop assistant whilst we gossip. Until you have to go of course."

The conversation turned out to be very informative and more than a little frank. I blushed a lot, and laughed at some of the scrapes Martin had gotten himself into and out of, until it was time to visit Llewella.

 

Llewella rose as I entered the room. "Keridwen. Thank you for accepting my invitation." Her face wore the smile that I'd seen before on Evelyn's.

Keep calm.

"You've done so much for me," I replied, smiling. I couldn't bring myself to offer to shake her hand, and luckily she didn't expect me to.

*Look on the bright side, she's not as physical as Caitlin.*

Thanks, Princess. Really.

It didn't help that on some level, I really did find her attractive. I blame my as yet unnamed previous life. (The only one who had attended the Facility, Whisper, was way too young to have attended it with Llewella.) Luckily, the fact that I found her just creepy and wrong vastly outweighed the attraction. There was also the fact that Benedict had killed her lover, quite possibly for being infected. As power deaf as I was, there was no way for me to tell whether or not she was infected herself.

"Please, sit down," she said, indicating a chair next to a bookcase.

I did so. "How do books survive down here?" I asked looking to my side.

"Artisans here can make something like paper that can hold letters with the proper ink." She smiled and looked a little distant. "Many of these books are copies of ones precious to... me."

I frowned at the green skinned girl sitting in front of me, and turned to gaze out the window, absently running my fingers across the spines of the books of the middle shelf.

Oh great. Now the memories of priors (what I'd decided to call my past lives) that I didn't have access to were bothering me. I didn't need this, not now when I was in Llewella's den.

*Calm down,* said the Princes. *Freaking out isn't going to help anything.*

That's easy for you to say.

The Princess sighed. *Look upon this as a social duel. Focus upon the interplay. Give away as little as you can whilst trying to get everything you can from her. You can do this. I know you can.*

To my surprise, I could feel the sincerity in her words. Where had that come from?

*You've managed to deal with me every day for the last year or two,* she said ruefully. *Can you honestly say that Llewella is worse than that?*

When you put it like that... yes, yes she is. But maybe I can deal with her anyway.

Llewella brought her focus back to me. "I would like to get to know you better, Keridwen."

"You can call me Keri for a start. Everyone does."

"You do not mind people shortening your name?" She seemed a little surprised.

"Why..." I trailed off. She was thinking about my prior, not me. Gah. "No. Keri's fine."

"Keri, then. I understand that the Facility has undergone changes since I attended. No drills, no lashes for late attendance, no executions for poor performance." Goddess. I was kind of glad that I hadn't attended that Facility. Hell, I was glad that Broadway hadn't. I don't think that he would have survived. "It seems positively idyllic these days."

"It sounds it, by comparison. Still I wasn't precisely pleased to be kidnapped out of my bed and dragged there. There were some good people there, though."

"I am glad that you found them. How is the Library? Do the guardians still nest there?"

"Humanoid spider creatures, yay high?" I indicated with my hand. Llewella nodded. "They're still there."

"That is good. They were always friendly."

She thought that the spiderthings were friendly? I shivered a little. Ick.

"As for the rest of the library, I'm not too sure. I didn't spend much time there." Between the spiderthings and the fact that I wasn't particularly academically gifted, I'd spent as little time as possible there.

"But-" she stopped. "I am sorry. I just have fond memories of the library."

Yeah, well, my prior seemed much more interested in power related stuff than I was. In my experience, that seemed to correlate with being interested in books.

"So, what kind of things do you like?" she asked, a little twitchily.

Well, there wasn't much secret there, so I started on the list. Free running, exploring, that kind of thing.

*Do you mind if I try a little experiment?* asked the Princess

What?

*I'm just trying to provoke a reaction. Just keep talking as though I'm not doing anything.*

She raised my left hand and trailed my hand across the spines of the books on the middle shelf, doing a very good impression of nonchalance. Llewella's response trailed off and her gaze seemed locked to my hand as it went back and forth.

"Llewella?" I asked.

She jumped as though coming out of a trance, and looked distinctly uncomfortable.

*Success. Time to inquire why she asked you here.*

You mean apart from the fact that she believes that I am the reincarnation of her dead lover?

*Let's shake the tree and see what falls out.*

I eyed the Princess suspiciously, but asked "Why did you want to see me?"

She shook her head. "I had to see if I could see any of her in you," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "She was a close friend, so I looked out for any of her reincarnations that I could find."

"She was your lover?" the Princess asked through me.

What are you doing?

*Hush. Let me work.*

Llewella looked shocked. "You have some of her memories?"

"Some," the Princess smiled. "Enough."

Llewella drew back a little, watching me nervously. For that matter, I was more than a little nervous myself. What in the Goddess' name was the Princess playing at?

"Enough to feel attracted to you," the Princess said, putting an awkward tone into my voice.

Llewella looked as freaked out as I was feeling. I seized back control of my body and was just about to wall the Princess off when she said *Wait! I can explain!*

This had better be good.

*At least now you know that she isn't trying to seduce you, to replace her lost lover. She'd never have been that taken aback if that had been her plan.*

I guess. But next time, consult with me first.

*You'd never have allowed me to go through with it.*

That's not a reason to do it regardless. This is my body, my life!

*And now you've got a weapon to use against Llewella should you need it.*

What? Come on to her?

*It works, doesn't it?*

Gah!

I turned my attention back outwards to Llewella who still looked like she was considering fleeing the room. I knew just how she felt. I didn't know why I hadn't collapsed into a blushing heap yet. I could only guess that I still didn't feel like the attraction was really mine.

"It looks like this whole thing is freaking you out just as much as it is me," I said sympathetically.

"I was not... I did not mean..." she swallowed and clearly got a hold of herself. "I will admit that when I looked for her reincarnations that I hoped to find her again. I did not think that you would be so young, and family besides." Llewella looked like she'd really like to talk about anything else.

"She wasn't family?"

Llewella shook her head.

"Do you want to tell me about her?" I guessed that I was curious about this woman who had had so much effect on Llewella's life. It was hard to feel threatened by a woman who looked like she was about to burst into tears in front of you, and only too easy to feel sympathy for her. "I only have fragments."

Llewella looked distant. "Her name was Isabelle. I was fifteen when I was sent to the Facility, fifteen when we met. From then on, we were inseperable. We worked on everything together. Until she died." There was a raw tone in her voice.

"Do you know why Benedict killed her?" There could be another reason than infection. I really had no idea about what made Benedict tick.

*Sensitive, Keri.*

I ignored her. I still wasn't speaking to her.

She shook her head. "I was not there when it happened. I just found her.. afterwards,"

No help there, then. I tried to be a little more delicate. "Do you mind telling me what did you worked on together?"

She smiled. "Not at all. It is nice to remember the happier memories. We worked on Trump. The family tends to just view it as a way to make communication devices, but it is so much more." Her voice took on a more professorial tone, which intensified her resemblance to Seraphina dramatically. She didn't make me feel safe, though, just confused and creeped out. I hoped that next time I saw Seraphina, she wouldn't remind me of Llewella. "Together Isabelle and I looked into Trump rituals. There seem to be principles in the universe that one can tap into, and use as an alternate power source. There is always a price though." I remembered Evelyn's eyeless face and shuddered. "Isabelle thought that there were entities behind these principles, called Ascendants."

"The Ascendants are restless tonight," I murmured.

Llewella jumped, and suddenly looked at me nervously again. "That was one of her favourite sayings."

"I remember you saying it. I think."

"She used it a lot. I might have said it," she said a little defensively.

Something Fiona told me came back to me. "Do you know anything about the Halls of Ascension?"

"Isabelle did believe that the Ascendants had their own realm. I'm not sure she ever gave it a name."

But she seemed to use the same terminology that Bleys did. Which was interesting. I opened my mouth to ask if Llewella or Isabelle had ever spoken to Bleys about this when the Princess cut in.

*Don't. Question time is over for the moment. She's clamming up, and, in any case, what would it mean if she could remember Bleys without your help?*

Nothing good. I shivered. I needed to be able to hear dissonance again.

"Thank you, Llewella, for the invitation. It's been nice speaking with you," I said, rising to my feet.

Llewella looked surprised, but rose to her feet. "It had been a pleasure, Keridwen. I hope to see you again." She blinked. "Oh, before you go, I understand that you spoke with my sister yesterday."

Oh, yes, that. "Yes," I said cautiously.

"You must have impressed her. I believe that she will be sending you an invitation to a court ball."

Impressed Moire? Maybe as fresh chum.

*I'd suggest that you don't turn it down.*

You're right. Unfortunately.

I nodded. "I'll see you again, then."

"Goodbye."

And I stepped out of her room to find a quiet alcove where I could decompress for a few minutes. Goddess, she could creep me out.

 

As I wandered through the streets of Rebma, I tried to put my thoughts in order. I couldn't believe that the attack on the Pattern didn't have *something* to do with the... incident with Bleys. And he seemed to be wrapped up with ascendants, that Llewella obviously knew about. Of course, there was the slight fact that, even setting aside the fact that Llewella made my skin crawl, I couldn't trust her. Certainly not until I could hear power again, quite possibly not even then. And Llewella... she was waiting for someone who was dead. Maybe if I reincarnated like Hugh did, with what seemed like a single spirit incarnating into life after life, then she'd have a chance. As far as I could tell, though, that's just not how it worked for me. All my incarnations seemed to be very much their own person, bound together just by memories. Of course, the rules seemed to have changed with Juliet...

I sighed. Time to distract myself with something else. Artist?

*Why do I get the feeling that this sudden communication is just a prelude to a request?*

Apparently you know me too well.

*Pitch your offer then.*

I was thinking that Caitlin's shop could do with some advertising. A poster campaign perhaps?

*You may not have noticed but we don't have a way to copy pictures. And I am not going to slave for you, copying a single poster dozens of times.*

I thought. What if they weren't just a single image repeated?

*What are you thinking?* There was a certain amount of grudging interest in her voice.

Maybe a puzzle of sorts. Each poster advertises her shop, but also has clues to the locations of other posters and is a piece of a large whole.

*Huh. Interesting. Maybe the posters could be arranged in a spiral. I've noticed that's a not uncommon theme in her shop.*

I apparently hadn't. So, you'll do it, then.

*Take me around the area surrounding her shop. If I'm going to do this, and I mean if, then I'll work in some of the sights around there for this series.*

Thanks!

*I haven't said I'd do this yet!* But her protest seemed rather half hearted.

Let's go then. I swam off, faint grumbles from the Artist in my ears.

 

I swam up to Caitlin's shop, quietly satisfied with the day. I'd travelled around the area around Caitlin's shop, looking for good places for posters. The Artist had, at first grudgingly, then with more enthusiasm, started imagining a poster campaign, using both the locations and the designs and colours that Caitlin favoured. I'd then found and bought some art supplies and some paper that apparently worked underwater, as well as a tube to hold the paper and a satchell to hold the supplies. We'd had enough time before Caitlin's shop closed for the Artist to start a few initial sketches, and we were in business.

Not that I was planning on telling Caitlin anything about this. I'd let it be a surprise when we finished it.

When I got to her shop, I could see through the window that there were still two women in there with Caitlin. I was about to disappear again until she was free when I got a better look at the situation. One woman was at the counter, waving her hand emphatically at Caitlin, whilst the other, heavy set and muscular, propped herself up against a wall, just observing.

*Bodyguard,* the Assassin stated.

I bit my lip. I didn't normally seek out confrontation, but I wasn't going to just stand by. I tried the door quietly. It was locked. Of course it was. A quick glance through the window didn't show any interest in my direction just yet.

Can you open it? I asked the Assassin.

She didn't bother replying, just flipped out a knife and slipped the catch. She didn't even bother suggesting that I sneak in there and kill the intruders. I did, however, feel her standing behind me fully alert, just in case things went wrong.

"I've been patient, girl, but real unfortunate things are going to start happening around here unless you start paying."

"I'm not giving you anything." Caitlin's voice was grimly stubborn.

"I said last week that this would be your last chance, and I like to think that I'm a woman of my word." The woman's voice had lost its bluster, sounding more like she was working herself up.

This had the potential to go bad places really quickly.

"Hi Caitlin!" I said cheerily, entering the shop.

"Is this your girl toy?" sneered the woman at the counter. "Tell her to run along whilst the adults conduct their business." The bluster was back in her voice, the mood broken for the moment.

Caitlin indicated the exit with her eyes. I ignored her. She glared at me.

Assassin? I asked. She tensed, ready to act. No killing. Can you just intimidate them? She'd had enough experience at that with street gangs.

I felt my body loosen up in a way that didn't so much suggest relaxation as readiness to kill. The bodyguard who had before just been lazily observing, stiffened. Thankfully, for her sake, she didn't go for the knife at her belt.

"I'd suggest that you walk out here now. While you still can." I barely recognised the voice coming from my lips. From Caitlin's reaction, she was thinking the same thing.

"Are you threatening me?" The bluster had taken on a distinctly nervous edge. "Do you know I am?"

The Assassin moved me smoothly forwards, invading the woman's space. The bodyguard sprang into action, dragging the woman behind her. "I neither know nor care," the Assassin said emotionlessly. "Leave. Now."

The woman tried, unsuccessfully, to maintain her dignity from behind her bodyguard. "I'm giving you another day, Caitlin. I'll see you tomorrow, and you'd better have the money."

The two women backed out of the shop, closing the door behind them. I relaxed and the Assassin disappeared back inside me, then turned back towards Caitlin, only to see furious teal eyes staring at me.

"What do you think you were doing?" she demanded.

"Trying to help. Sorry."

She sprang across the counter and hugged me hard before kissing me on the lips. That was the first time anyone had done that to me. Wow. I think I lost track of everything for a second or so, but recovered myself to see her looking like she was about to burst into tears. "I was so scared when you came in. You could have been hurt. Killed."

"I can look after myself," I protested. "Really. I've been trained. Besides, they could have hurt you, if I hadn't."

"You don't need to worry about me," she said defensively. "I can handle myself."

"Who were they?"

"Local thugs. They shake down all the independent traders, all the ones who aren't protected by a guild." She looked stubbornly at me. "I'm not going to pay them anything."

"Is it just those two?"

She sighed. "No. They're just the pair who are unimportant enough to extort money from someone like me."

*Can't kill them. Just get the gang riled up,* the Assassin said matter of factly.

Luckily, I wasn't planning on killing anyone.

"I take it you've complained to the police."

"It doesn't do any good. They don't care what happens to us." She looked like she had a thought. "You can't tell Martin! He'd tried to help, and I've caused him enough trouble around here already."

"I've got a suggestion. I'm not sure it's any better, though."

"What is it?"

I made a face. "I could put you under the protection of a princess of Amber. I mean, it's not official or anything yet, but I'm sure I could get something done if I made enough noise." If I really needed to, I could even ask Llewella for help. "It wouldn't cause me any problems. I don't have to live here."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"If I just fight them, then their friends will come after us. You. I've only been around here a few weeks, and already I know that my famly is considered somewhat vendetta happy. Who really wants to bring that down on their heads? And if they hurt me, I'm relatively sure that Moire would deliver their heads to Castle Amber as an apology."

*Without a second thought,* the Princess said.

She looked hopeful. "You'd do this for me?"

"You're a friend."

She hugged me, and I had to battle against confusing and bewildering feelings again. "Thank you," she breathed.

I pushed away gently. "You know you said that I should take things at my own pace?" She nodded. "I'm sorry. You're a friend and your hugs and kisses are confusing me. Making me want more." And you couldn't like me in that way, anyway.

She seemed to read my mind. "Look, Keri. Take things as you feel comfortable with them. Just so long as you know that I consider you a friend and I *do* find you attractive." I blushed. "Especially when you do that. But, please, don't feel any pressure from me. I'm happy if we can just be friends."

I relaxed. "Thank you. It does mean a lot to me. You mean a lot to me. I'm just not sure how just yet."

"Now that that's out of the way, is there any reason that you happened to be coming past this direction, or is it just the pleasure of my company?" Her eyes focussed on my tube and satchel, "Oh, you didn't have those this morning. What's in them?"

I smiled. "It's a surprise. I guess that you'll just have to wait until I'm ready to tell you."

"Is there any way I could convince you to tell me?"

I shrugged. "No."

"Temptress!" I blushed. "So, if you didn't come to talk about your secret, why did you visit?"

"Just the pleasure of your company, I guess." I looked at my feet. "It's easy speaking to you."

"Well, the least I can do is treat my saviour to a meal. Come on!" she said and opened the door for me, locking it behind us. "Which reminds me," she said thoughtfully. "I thought that that thug locked the door behind her."

"You need better locks."

"Oh, do tell..."

 

"I take it Martin didn't spend much time showing you the sights of Rebma," Caitlin said.

"I was rather more concerned with getting some appropriate clothing at the time."

We sat eating our meal (purchased from a street vendor by Caitlin, who swore by him. I was prepared to take her word for it) looking out at a beautiful seascape, more or less untouched. The city of Rebma stopped fairly abruptly at a line marked by obelisks.

"Thank you for showing me this," I told her.

"The stones mark the edge of the magic of Rebma. Past there, it's just normal sea. Most Rebmans can survive past the markers without a problem."

"Most? Is there a way to check to see if you can?"

"Not that anyone has ever looked into," she said a little bitterly. "If you happen to die past the markers, then you were obviously unfit."

I wanted to hug her, but I wasn't sure that it was wise. I sat there for a moment, wrestling with myself, then hugged her anyway. I was rewarded with a wan smile.

"Sorry if being here brings back bad memories," I said.

"It doesn't usually. It's just..." she trailed off, then appeared to change her mind. "I just wanted to make sure you knew, so you didn't try and go past them."

"I wasn't particularly planning on it. I'm not Rebman of any stripe, let alone a superior specimen. Besides, I have my own ways of risking my life," I told her drily, then proceeded to elaborate on tales of free running.

"Isn't that dangerous in air?"

"It was often less dangerous than escaping whatever was chasing me. And then it was a way to feel free, like I could escape my troubles."

"I guess I can understand that," she looked moodily into the distance. "I have my own penchant for dangerous sports."

I didn't ask what she was escaping. If she wanted to tell me, then she would. I risked another quick hug, then moved onto lighter subjects.

 

A couple of hours later, I decided reluctantly that it was probably time to go back to Amber. It had been a very nice evening. I couldn't remember the last time that I was so relaxed with someone. Caitlin had been very good and obviously restrained herself from hugging me several times. I wasn't too sure how I felt about that. I missed the hugs and the occasional kiss on the cheek. Sure, I felt less confusion, but...

I got up to go. "Thanks," I said, smiling. "It's been a really nice evening. I guess that I'll see you tomorrow after work."

She rose to her feet too and then carefully took hold of one arm with the other, as if to prevent any accidents. "I feel bad about bothering you with my troubles."

"Really," I said softly. "I don't mind."

"Well, then, I guess that I'll see you tomorrow."

For a moment, I waited for a hug that didn't materialise. At my request, no less. I screwed up my courage. "Caitlin."

"Keri?" she asked, smiling.

"Would you mind if we tried a relationship? Slowly. I really like you. I'm really bad at this. I don't know where I am half the time, but I think I'd like this."

She looked closely at me. "Are you sure, Keri? I don't want you to feel that you're under pressure to do this."

"I... think so. As much as I'm sure about anything about us at the moment." I looked with quick panic. "But only if you want to. I mean, I wouldn't want to push you into anything."

A smile spread over her face. "Then, yes, Keri. I'd love to be your girlfriend. And we can take it as slowly as you want." And she rewarded me with another of those amazing kisses to the mouth.

I think I definitely could get used to this.

 

"These are your rooms?" Caitlin asked. "Wow."

I wasn't quite sure who had suggested it first, but Caitlin had expressed an interest in actually being inside a castle. There being only one castle I had access to at the moment, I invited her to stay the night in my quarters, stammeringly explaining that there were guest rooms should she wish. There may have been blushing involved.

There was definitely blushing now. "Honestly, these are by far the best rooms that I've ever been in. I think that the king is trying to persuade me to swear allegiance with the carrot."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You haven't sworn allegiance yet?"

"I was brought up on a distant shadow. It's complicated."

"Much of your life seems complicated."

"You have no idea," I sighed.

"You'll have to fix that."

"What I can. State secrets and all."

"It's times like this that I'm glad that I'm just a commoner. It seems far simpler."

"Well, there are rewards," I told her. "If I was a commoner, I'd have never met you." I think I may have actually won a slight blush from her at that remark. It looked cute on her. "And certainly from what you said, it'd been a lot harder getting you past the stair guard." Caitlin had been worried that they wouldn't let her past, but they didn't say a thing when they saw that she was with me. I was guessing that Moire had given them instructions.

Caitlin yawned. "Thank you for showing me all of this, but I really should be getting to bed sometime soon. I'm going to have to get up especially early to be able to get back to Rebma in time to open up shop."

"Um, which bed would you like. My bedroom is through there and the guest room is through there," as I indicated the relevant directions.

She looked at me. "Which would you prefer that I take?"

"Um...." I considered, blushing. "My one, I guess." Then a thought struck, and I added quickly. "But no sex. I'm really not ready for that. If you don't mind."

"Of course not." She hugged me, then gave me a kiss. "We're taking this at your pace, remember?"

I opened a drawer and pulled out a nightie. "It's apparently customary to wear these at night." I turned and throw it to her just in time to catch her look of dismay. "What's wrong? You don't have to wear it if you don't want to."

*It certainly took long enough for Sarah to house train you into using them.*

"I just thought that you might want to change out of your damp clothes." I'd rented a room up near the stairs when I had a change of clothes, among other things, and, even though they didn't fit perfectly, between us we'd managed to approach the castle looking something approximately decent. I hadn't had enough to allow us to both change into dry clothes, and Caitlin had kept on her Rebman clothes.

Caitlin looked a little panicked. "It's not that..." She took a deep breath. "I guess that you deserve to see what you're getting into a relationship with." She slowly, flinchingly, let down the left side of her suit to reveal a body that literally had chunks taken out of it and scarred over. The swimsuit must have had padding to conceal the holes in her. She glanced quickly at me, at my expression, then looked away again. "I can return to Rebma if you want," she said quietly and pulled up the side of her costume and started to get up.

I went over and hugged her. She froze rigid. "Don't go, please," I whispered. She relaxed a little. "I just wish that there was something that I could do." Maybe Seraphina might know something, but I didn't even want to raise the possibility before speaking to her.

"There isn't," she said hopelessly. "But I don't want you to have me as your girlfriend just out of pity," she said, pushing back, looking at my face.

"Funny, I should probably be thinking the same thing," I tried to smile. "You're so pretty and so nice. You're far too good for me."

"Really? You still think I'm attractive? Even after seeing that?"

I couldn't deny that her wounds were unattractive. But they hadn't spoiled her for me. I just needed the words to tell her that.

*Kiss her,* the Princess advised. *Sincerely and passionately.* She paused a second. *I can demonstrate if you want,* she said wickedly.

I glared at her, but took her advice. Mmmmmm... wow. Still definitely wow.

When we broke for breath, Caitlin looked up at my face anxiously.

"Does that answer your question?* I asked.

She smiled a little. "I guess." Then the smile broadened to its usual size. "But I might need a bit more convincing."

So I did my best.


	31. Chapter 31

*This isn't exactly blissful slumber in arms of your beloved,* the Princess commented.

I had noticed.

Caitlin was a hugger even in her sleep. That was kind of nice. What somewhat spoiled it was that each time she so much as moved or even just breathed deeply, my old instincts jolted me awake, insisting that there was a potential threat nearby. Which meant that the night so far had been a little restless. I didn't want to move in case I disturbed her, so I had just lain there, listening to the sounds of the castle around me. It was oddly meditative. Luckily, I didn't find going for a single night without rest unduly taxing. This whole sharing a bed thing was going to take some getting used to. Just going out with someone didn't magically solve that problem, apparently.

*Maybe to bond with her, you should make love,* the Princess offered up in the tone of someone giving advice.

I stared hard at her.

*No, really,* she said a little defensively. *That's always how you know who your true love is in the books.*

How did that work out for you, then?

*My late husband? He was just a treacherous pig. I had no illusions about that,* she snorted, and then continued in a more subdued tone. *I don't even want to look for love. It'll just make getting married for politics that much harder.*

Yes, well, what I feel for her doesn't exactly match what's written in your books, in any case. Her touch doesn't set me on fire. Though, honestly, I'm kind of glad of that. It sounds painful. My feelings are far more messy and confusing. I paused. Do you think that this means that my feelings aren't real?

The Princess shrugged. *I'd love to be able to tell you. I hope that they are, though. She's nice and refreshingly honest.*

I felt warm. She is that.

*And trust me, I've seen lots of people act just as bizarrely around the objects of their attraction. Just enjoy it.*

 

Morning came after a few more agonizingly slow hours, and I poked Caitlin awake.

"Time to get up if you want to open your shop on time."

She huddled underneath the covers. "It's far too early. Leave me alone," she grumbled

"You didn't go to sleep at the back of your shop last night," I reminded her, lifting the duvet off her head.

She stuck her tongue out at me. "I can see how this relationship is starting off."

"Sorry," I apologised, shrinking back. "I just thought..."

She grabbed me, and pulled herself towards me to kiss me. "Shh. I was just joking. I may also be a little grumpy in the morning on occasion."

I relaxed. "That's good. I was a little worried."

"I noticed. Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"It was nice," I equivocated, hoping she'd miss the fact that I'd evaded her question.

"Restful?"

Curses. She'd noticed.

I shrugged and smiled a little ruefully at her. "I'm a very light sleeper. It's why I'm still alive, but you wouldn't believe how long it took me just to adjust to having a room mate."

She looked my face over. "How come you seem more awake than me?"

"I start to fade a little by the end of the second day up, especially if I've been doing something strenuous. A little gift from my family. Apparently the endurance of the scions of Amber is legendary."

Inside my head, the Princess corpsed. Outside, Caitlin smirked.

Oh. I blushed. "OhmygoddessIreallydidNOTmeanthat!"

Caitlin took hold my hand gently. "I know I'm a bad girlfriend for not being more supportive, but you blush so prettily."

There's not really much I could say to that, so I decided that it was time to get dressed.

The usual pile of scrolls inviting me to visit this noble or that merchant awaited me in the reception area to my rooms. Alongside that pile was carefully placed an inscribed seashell. To my not very great surprise, it held an invitation to a ball a week hence from Moire for me and one other person.

"Do you want to attend a ball in Moire's castle?" I asked Caitlin.

"What? Me? In a royal ball?" she snorted.

I shrugged. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. You can't blame me for inviting my girlfriend first, though." I smiled at her.

*Goofily,* the Princess said.

I am *not* goofy.

The Princess remained silent, but I could feel her smirk.

"I'll... think about it," Caitlin said. "I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that I could attend one of these events as anything other than serving staff."

I kissed her. "Let me know what you decide. Anyway, I believe that you have a shop to open."

 

It was just past closing time when the two women returned to Caitlin's shop.

"Take cover in the bathroom," I told Caitlin. I had had the Assassin spend some time today looking for the best entry points into the place, and she'd come to conclusion that the best place for Caitlin to hide was there. The window was easy to cover from the inside, but could be used as a quick exit in need.

Caitlin looked like she was about to argue. I interrupted the opening of her mouth to day "Please? I don't want to worry about you whilst I handle this."

She looked torn. "If you're absolutely sure..."

I gave her a quick hug and kiss, then pushed her towards the back of the shop. "Remember. Shout or scream if you hear anyone."

I could only see the duo from yesterday, but that didn't mean that they hadn't bought reinforcements.

She nodded quickly, tremulously, then disappeared. I turned my attention back to the oncoming criminals, who were just coming within the danger range now.

Let me handle this, I told the Assassin.

She didn't respond.

Okay, let me handle this unless you really think I'm in imminent danger, or they draw weapons.

*Agreed.*

Thank you. I didn't want to have to fight her as well as the thugs to stop unnecessary deaths or cripplings.

The woman who had done all the talking yesterday eyed me up. "Get out of here, kid. This has nothing to do with you."

"I am Keridwen A'Court, of the royal family of Amber and this shop is under my protection."

The woman sneered at me. "And I'm Queen Moire."

I sighed. "I don't expect you to believe me. After I've dealt with you, check with the gate guards. They've been told who I am." At least I hoped so. They hadn't challenged me in any case, so they'd definitely been told *something*.

"Confident, aren't you?" she blustered.

I inclined my head a little, and the bluster turned to unease.

"Get her out of our way," she said to her bodyguard.

The large woman advanced cautiously, hands held out like an experienced wrestler.

The fight was over in moments.

"I'd suggest that you take your friend and get out of here," I said to the talker, who had turned pale.

"You're not going to hurt me."

"Not unless you give me reason to."

She cautiously approached, and started dragging her larger companion away.

"And make sure nothing unfortunate happens to Caitlin or her shop. Moire will be happy to arrange to hand me your heads if anything does."

The woman, now out of range, sneered a little at that, but with a lot less certainty. Hopefully she'd check and leave Caitlin alone. I watched them until they were out of sight, before turning back into the shop.

"Heya."

Caitlin came rushing out. "Are you alright?" she asked, checking me over.

"Fine. Hopefully I've dealt with your underworld problems."

She hugged and kissed me. "However can I repay you?" she asked, grinning.

A whole series of emotions cycled through me at her smile, the look in her eyes, but I shelved them and just smiled at her. "An evening of your company and a meal would be nice."

"I may not be able to fight off a horde of attackers, but that I can do," she said, taking me by the hand.

Not such a bad evening after all.

 

"Just because you can't use Pattern at the moment, it doesn't mean that I can't teach you how to use your other powers," Fiona announced over a cup of tea.

I froze. Fiona had sent me an invitation to visit her which the Princess had been quite emphatically sure was not so much a suggestion as a command.

"The Facility did test me, and didn't find any personal magics," I said cautiously.

She sniffed. "I'm sure I can winkle out any hidden powers you may have."

I wasn't sure that I liked the sound of that. I mean, I didn't feel like I *couldn't* talk to someone about my sisters any more, but that didn't mean that I wanted to have someone I hardly knew to find out about them.

"What would these tests consist of?"

She laughed. "You don't need to sound so nervous. Just a series of simple exercises."

*Not that she's going to suspect that you might throw them on purpose or anything.*

Thanks, Princess.

*I mean, it isn't as though the obvious reason that no one at the Facility discovered your personal magics is because you didn't want them to. She's going to be trying to read you every step of the way.*

If this is supposed to help, it isn't.

I smiled as naturally as I could at Fiona. "Where do I start?"

 

_My father smiled at me as he handed me a brightly wrapped box._

_"Happy birthday, Clarissa!" he told me. "Now, your real present is waiting outside, but I thought that you might like this."_

_I ripped open the paper in excitement. Inside was a box which contained an iridescent stone. I squealed and held it up to the light._

_Father laughed and ruffled my hair. "I thought you might like my paperweight. I've certainly seen you entranced by it enough."_

_I hugged him tightly. "You're the best father I could wish for."_

 

"Do you sense anything from it?" Fiona asked as I stared just a little too long at the paperweight in my hands.

I tried my best to look confused. "Maybe. I don't know. For just a second, I thought that I could, but, if so, it's gone now." I was so not going to tell her that I knew it from her mother's memories.

Fiona retrieved it from me, looking at it then me. "Interesting. You haven't got anything from anything else you've been handling so far?"

"No."

"Tell me if you get anything else like that." She rose to her feet a little stiffly before returning with a box of odds and ends.

About the fifth object I handled was a bag filled with rune stones. The first one I picked up gave me an image. Not a memory. An image. I shivered as though I was in a cold draft.

Huh.

I had to admit, I was curious about that.

"I saw a picture of a woman," well, me, actually, but that was probably sharing a little much," sitting down on a throne, holding a sword when I held this." I showed her the stone.

Fiona leaned forwards. "Do you get similar images when you hold the other stones?"

I held a succession of other stones. "Yes." The images all featured me. I didn't feel the need to share that either. "What does this mean?"

"These are a set of divining tokens that my mother gave to me. Any power they have is more superstition than fact, but they do resonate with Trump energies. Do you get any other sensation when you concentrate on them?"

I thought. "I do feel cold. Not physically. It's hard to explain."

Fiona smiled. "Excellent. Look around this room. Does anything else give you that same feeling?"

I looked around. "The mirror?" I said as soon as my eyes focussed on it.

*It feels like those mirrors we saw in Rebma,* the Sorceress.

Ah yes. There had been mirrors lining some streets that had given me a spooky chill. I had encountered them when surveying the place for the poster campaign. Not really knowing much more about them, I just avoided them thenceforth.

"Very good," Fiona approved. "You definitely show some talent for this. How good are you at drawing and painting?"

*You're on your own for this,* the Artist told me.

What?

*It's a useful skill, and then you won't need my help as much.*

Great. Thanks.

"Not good," I admitted.

"Then for you first lessons, we'll concentrate on getting you up to scratch in that department." She summoned a servant and ordered art supplies.

I sighed. This could turn into a long convalescent period.

 

"Keri!" Caitlin said as she came over to give me a welcoming hug and kiss.

I rested against her a moment, before pushing myself away a little to look at her. "Heya," I said a little shyly.

"What have you been doing the last few days? You haven't been around."

"My aunt Fiona has decided that I need lessons in drawing and painting. She's a big believer in repetition makes perfect." I held up my hand, then let it flop pathetically. "She's managed to make me practice enough that my wrist hasn't stopped aching yet. Thankfully, I managed to get tonight off."

I stifled a yawn.

*And, lo, the mighty have fallen,* the Princess said.

The drawing exercises have kept me a little too busy for much in the way of sleep.

*That is *entirely* your own choice. I don't remember off hand Fiona asking you to go without rest.*

Without hard work, I wouldn't have improved even as much as I have done over the last few days. She did seem impressed by the improvement.

*She has *so* got you wrapped around her little finger.*

I do not fancy her in the slightest.

*No, thankfully. I imagine that Caitlin would be less than pleased.*

At least I have a fighting chance of being able to fall asleep with her tonight.

*There's that, I guess.*

I realised that Caitlin had paused a second, looking a little hesitant. "I was going to go out with the gang tonight," Caitlin said. "I haven't seen some of them in a while." An additional slight pause. "Would you like to come with me so you can meet them?"

"Will they mind?" I asked, feeling a little nervous.

"Well, actually, they've been asking about who you are," Caitlin said, shifting. "Apparently word has been getting around that a gorgeous drylander has been visiting my shop."

I blushed. "Flatterer," I accused.

"Shamelessly," she smiled, then sobered. She looked a little torn before adding "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

She obviously wanted to go, though, and I did want to spend the evening with her. Besides, I guessed that I should meet her friends at some point. Why not now? "Will I need to change my clothing, or shall we just go?"

She looked over what I was wearing (one of her suits, naturally) and smiled. "I think that should be fine." She kissed me again. "Thank you, Keri."

I smiled back at her, dazzled and stuck out an arm. "Would my lady like an escort?"

She pushed my arm away, before taking my hand. "I'm not yours, or anyone else's lady, and I'd thank you to remember that. Let's go."

 

Caitlin's friends hung out in a bar named The Knotted Rope, which was definitely in the rougher part of town, judging by the thug that I'd had to chase off on the way there. (He didn't seem to fancy his chances against the Assassin. Fancy that.) Still they at least had a heavy on the door, a large guy who looked us up and down before saying "Weapons."

I handed him the knife at my side.

"Hi, Kimber," Caitlin said, smiling, as she handed him her knife.

"Hey, Caitlin. This your new girlfriend?" he asked, nodding at me.

She rolled her eyes. "Apparently news spreads fast. This is Keri."

I smiled at him, then handed the blades I had concealed around my person. His eyes widened a little. I guessed that, given the relaxed dress code in Rebma, concealed weaponry wasn't something they worried too much about. The Assassin had been quite inventive within the limits of the available apparel. I could feel her sulking in the background as I gave up her toys. Ah well.

The bar itself was a loud and rowdy affair. People talking, laughing, arguing and yelling at each other. As we entered, a groggy looking man, a cloud of blood billowing from his nose almost hiding what would become a nice pair of shiners, was being helped to a corner by one of the bar staff. Another man, blood clouding the water a little around his fist, was laughing with a group of people. No one seemed to pay any of this the least bit of attention.

Hush, I told the Assassin, feeling a bit on edge myself.

Caitlin led me in the direction of where a couple of tables had been pushed together so a group of seven people could crowd around them with two seats rather pointedly empty.

A guy who looked a couple of years older than me pointed in my direction. "That's her!" he said rather loudly. His most unusual feature was a pinkish skin tone that reminded me of sea anemones, which contrasted weirdly against the straggly brown hair hovering around his head.

"I should have known that you'd be the one, Linus," Caitlin said resignedly as she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"It's hardly my fault if you take your dates out near my palace of food. Which reminds me, why haven't you taken her there yet?"

"I was taking her out on date, not trying to kill her."

"I'm hurt."

"Anyway, who is your new friend?" a stockily built woman asked. She'd been eyeing me narrowly ever since I'd been brought to the group's attention, only briefly distracted by a hug from Caitlin.

"I was getting to that, Anna," Caitlin said with fond exasperation.

"Hi, I'm Keri A'Court," I interjected, feeling it was time to introduce myself. "As I'm sure you can tell, I'm a drylander, one of Martin's cousins to be exact. Pleased to meet you all."

It took them a few moments for them to process that.

"Oh," said Anna, practically forming ice with her voice.

"Really?" asked a woman more than a little flirtatiously. She had pale skin and long dark hair tied back in a braid, and was dressed in rather more clothing than anyone else here.

*Noble style clothing,* the Assassin said, somewhat more familiar with the subject. *Looks like the current fashion based on the nobles I've seen. Looks like a cheap copy.*

"She's not actually a princess yet, Min," Caitlin told the woman. "So you're going to have to find another patron."

Min sighed dramatically and pouted good humouredly. "Well, if you do ever find yourself in a position where you need a singer, dancer or actress..."

I laughed. "At the moment I haven't even got my own rooms in the castle, so it's a little way off yet."

*Though there is that duchy,* the Princess said thoughtfully. *It is expected that a proper noble with patronise the arts.*

Another time, Princess, another time.

"So how did you two meet?" asked a muscular bald woman, with greenish skin that looked almost scaled. She was pretty much the only one who had kept an unwavering smile on her face when I told them I was Martin's cousin.

"As much as I'd like to say that Caitlin rescued me from a dragon..." I trailed off, hoping for a name.

"Callie," she supplied, "And this is my twin Ellie," gesturing to the woman next to her, who had the green skin of her sister, but was much slimmer and had long green hair, as well as a somewhat distracted air, eyes constantly flickering around the room.

"Like I was saying, it'd be a nice tale, but the truth is far less dignified." I related the story of Keri the human jellyfish to much general amusement.

"So if I base a new dish around that story, will you give it your official endorsement?" Linus asked innocently which produced a fair share of smirks from around the table.

"Maybe if I can get a few good recommendations for it from the good folks around this table after they've tried it," I said equally innocently, neatly wiping those smirks off.

"Well played," said Callie.

Linus was meanwhile eyeing the rest of the table speculatively until Anna reached across the table and rapped his knuckles. "No," she told him sternly.

'C'mon," he pleaded. "It'd be an adventure."

"No." This time the rest of the table said it in unison.

Linus did a really execrable attempt at looking upset, but then perked up, looking at me. "Since you're the new girl, tradition demands that you buy a round." The others nodded enthusiastically.

It was probably just as well I had a purse on me. I even had some Rebman currency after the art supplies that I had bought.

"Guys!" complained Caitlin, getting to her feet.

"Don't worry," said Anna. "I'll help the new girl. Besides, Min wants to hear all the juicy gossip."

Min flashed me a wicked grin as she fastened onto Caitlin in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a lamprey. "So is it true what they say about drylanders...."

Blushing, I decided that being somewhere else for a little while really might not be a bad idea.

I joined Anna in the queue. I was about to say something innocuous when she hissed “You do know that she's not just some toy for you to experiment with?"

"What?" As I said that, I bit my lip, my mind thrown into chaos. Surely that's not what I was doing?

"It's all very well for you. Caitlin's just some holiday bit of fluff to you. You can just move on when you want to, and find someone more appropriate. She's been hurt enough, and she doesn't need you."

Where was this coming from? I didn't understand. I felt like I wanted to burst into tears. Did Caitlin worry about this?

*Hush,* the Princess said, hugging me. *Don't let her see us cry.*

"Well, got nothing to say for yourself?"

"I don't know what to say. I don't know how this goes. Caitlin's my first."

"Really?" She looked at me sceptically.

"Really."

"Goddess!" She held one hand up to her head. "Look, just don't hurt her."

"I like her. I don't *want* to hurt her."

"Then leave her alone, now. You're a noble. She isn't. It's as simple as that."

I had to laugh at that. "Would you believe that two years ago, I'd have thought this," I gestured at the pub, "was almost unimaginable luxury?"

She looked at me narrowly. "Stop taking the piss."

"I'm not." I gave the (very) abbreviated version of my history.

"Every girl's dream. You actually were secretly a princess. Now you can travel worlds. Can you honestly say that you're not just going to leave Caitlin behind? Or just make her an adjunct of you?"

It was a good question. I did like to travel. If I took this job that Eric offered, I'd probably be travelling a lot. I'd either have to spend a lot of time away from Caitlin or take her with me, and she had a shop, a life here.

*Hush,* the Princess said to me, feeling my doubts, then took control.

"She's hurt every day," she said through me, to me, as well as Caitlin. "She hides it, most of the time, but you must have seen how people who know look at her." Anna flinched visibly. "Maybe even you've looked at her that way." Anna looked down, unable to meet my gaze. "That doesn't matter to me. I like her for who she is, find her attractive as hell without any ifs,buts or maybes."

You do?

*She's nice. I like her. And I'll be damned if I let this Anna hurt you. Or Caitlin, for that matter, by driving you away.*

The Princess resumed the attack. "Can anyone else down here give her that? Can *you* give her that?"

"No," Anna whispered. "I tried. I did. But it didn't work out." She looked stricken.

I touched her gently, back in control of myself. "I'm going to try and make her happy. I might not succeed, but I'll try."

Anna recovered her composure with an effort. "You'd better. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Thankfully just about then we arrived at the bar and placed our orders. We didn't talk on the way back to the tables. I, for one, was far too wrapped up in my own worries and concerns.

 

I waited until we were some distance from the bar before quietly gripping Caitlin's arm and saying "You do know that you're not just an experiment to me?"

Caitlin looked a little confused. "What?"

"I mean, I'm still not sure where this is going, but I really like you and I don't want to hurt you." A little to my surprise, there were tears in my eyes. No, I was really not sure how that worked in Rebma.

Caitlin held me in her arms. "Hush. I know that you don't think of me that way"

"I just wanted you to know that you're not a noble's toy. You're not." I let out a laugh between the tears. "Goddess, it's not as though I consider myself a noble."

"You definitely don't act like one," she said, obviously trying to inject a bit of humour into the situation.

"I'm not just going to leave you, either. I might have to travel, but I'll always come back." Maybe I could even make a trump of her when I was good enough.

"Are you going away soon?"

"No," I said, sniffling. "But I'll probably have to at some point."

"Anna talked to you, didn't she?" Caitlin asked, her voice a little hard.

"It's not her fault. She was just trying to protect you."

"I don't need that kind of protection." Her voice softened. "Keri, I know you, and I know you don't want to hurt me. There's no sense in borrowing trouble. Let's just take things as they come, and see where this relationship leads us."

I burrowed into her embrace. "Thank you."

"Now, let's go home. I don't know about you, but I certainly need to get some sleep."

I yawned a little. "I can get behind that."

"You're tired? What has your aunt being doing to you?"

"I'll tell you what I can about it on the way back."

 

"Her Grace Keridwen A'Court of Amber and guest," announced the herald to Moire's ball.

"I don't even rate having my name mentioned?" Caitlin groused.

"I thought that you were nervous enough without your identity being broadcast to all and sundry," the Princess told her. "In any case, this way you get to be my beautiful yet mysterious consort."

The Princess took to this kind of event like a duck to water, so I'd decided to more or less retreat for the evening. It felt kind of weird, like I was more watching a movie than actually here, but with the added option of stepping into the screen and taking control if I wanted to.

Caitlin snickered. "I guess. It doesn't mean that I have to like it, though.":

Martin approached with a girl around his age clinging to his arm, so the Princess waited until he was within range before nodding to him. "Martin."

"Keri," he nodded to me. "Guest," he said to Caitlin, who gave him a filthy look in return before doing her usual pounce and kiss. I think she whispered something in his ear before backing off again. He certainly gave her a wary look as she did so.

"This is Rosalind, my usual date to these things," Martin introduced us to the woman with him. She was fairly ordinary looking for Rebma and had a kind of hunched look about her, as though she really would rather that you didn't notice her at all. She smiled a little shyly at us. I took briefly enough control to give a little wave back. I knew just how she felt.

"I'm surprised to see you here," he said to Caitlin. "You've always refused before."

"I've never been asked by my girlfriend before."

Martin made an oh motion with his mouth. Apparently the gossip hadn't spread that far yet. "Um, congratulations!"

"Thanks," I said, in the driving seat once more. I may have been smiling a little goofily at that.

*Incoming,* the Princess muttered before taking control again and my face wiped itself of expression.

A richly dressed woman with a man in tow walked by. The woman openly looked at us, obviously interested in our little gathering. There was a sigh from Martin and Rosalind as they moved on.

"My parents," Rosalind explained quietly. "My mother likes to think of herself as involved."

"An interfering busybody, more like," Martin muttered.

"She's been better recently. She hasn't been shopping for a husband for me for a while."

Martin raised an eyebrow. "No less than subtle hints?"

Rosalind blushed. "Not really, no."

A sister in blushing! Maybe I'd try to get to know her outside of this ball.

"So, what do you do at these events?" Caitlin asked.

Well, I know you're planning to mingle and schmooze, I told the Princess.

*Though I doubt that that will be what Caitlin wants,* the Princess agreed.

"We generally dance," Martin said. "Rosalind here is an absolute life saver. Speaking of which, would you do me the honour of the first dance?" he asked her.

She nodded shyly, her face shining, and Martin whirled her away onto the floor.

Oh dear Goddess.

*He hasn't told her that he doesn't like women that way, has he?* said the Princess.

The Princess looked at Caitlin. "Would you also like to dance?"

Caitlin did a really bad attempt at a curtsey, smiling. "I'd love to. Though I've never danced noble style before."

"Don't worry," the Princess smiled at her. "Just follow me."

 

"I'm impressed," said Martin. "I had no idea that you were so good at this kind of thing."

It was a couple of hours later, I think. Between the dancing and all the varied interactions with arrayed nobles, the Princess had kept us quite busy. She had somehow even managed to make Caitlin feel included, though even I had caught some of the slightly puzzled glances Caitlin aimed at me occasionally. I would have to have a talk with her later.

The Princess smiled. "I do try and keep my hand in. Besides, you never know when a connection might come in useful."

Martin blinked.

Could you at least try and sound a little more like me?

*Not without resorting to caricature, no. Blame courtly training at the Facility if you must.*

Thanks.

"Have you been enjoying yourselves?" the Princess asked Martin in an attempt to get the topic off her.

"I think we've managed to have a fairly good time," Martin said, smiling down at Rosalind, who looked worshipfully back at him.

I suddenly couldn't take it any more. Rosalind didn't deserve to have this happen to her, to be in love with someone who'd never love her back. At the very least she deserved to know that it was hopeless.

I seized control of my voice. "So, any likely boyfriends here?" I asked Martin as casually as I could.

*Keri!* said the Princess scandalised.

Look, we had to tell her.

*There are better ways!*

Well this is my way.

"Here?" he snorted. "Even if I let any of them get close, they'd just try and use me."

You could see the moment that Rosalind worked out what I was saying. You could see the moment when her heart broke.

"Excuse me," she said in a choked voice. "I'm feeling a little ill." She rushed off towards an exit.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Martin called after her.

"No she doesn't," hissed Caitlin as I made my way after Rosalind.

Maybe there might have been a better way to tell her.

*Really?* said the Princess sardonically.

*You're not helping,* said the Sorceress to the Princess.

I had to do *something*. I couldn't just let her go on like that.

I caught up with her just outside the entrance. For want of anything better, I hugged her. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"I didn't really think that he was interested in me," she sobbed into my shoulder. "I mean, why would he be? Look at me. And I'm just a younger daughter. But I *hoped.* And, as time went on, and he kept on taking me to balls and other events, somewhere along the line I began do more."

*Her mother was probably also doing some hoping. After all, she who marries Martin becomes Queen.*

She looked up at me. "Do you think he knows?"

"He probably does by now."

She buried her head again. "Now I'll never be able to look at him again. Not that he'll want to see me. He probably thinks that I'm stupid."

He'd better not. "I don't think that. I haven't known him that long, but I think that he'll want to try and sort things out. You don't have to see him again, though, if you don't want to."

"Do I have to make that decision now?"

"Not at all."

She relaxed a little. "Thank you, Keri, for checking on me, but if you don't mind, I think I'd like to be alone now."

I let her go and she walked off, a small sad figure in the night.

I went back inside to find Martin to find him waiting anxiously.

Do you want to handle this, o mistress of the better way?

*Sure,* replied the Princess.

"Is she alright?" Martin asked.

"What do you think?" the Princess asked.

He looked down at his feet. "I had no idea."

"No, you didn't. And that's something that you can't afford to have happen. You're a prince, like it or not. If you slip up, if you say or do the wrong thing, people will get hurt. Probably other people, because your position will insulate you."

"That's not what happened here!" he protested. "She'd have liked me, not my position."

The Princess was merciless. "She did, true. But her mother, who apparently stopped trying to match make her with other men? I wouldn't be surprised to hear that she even encouraged Rosalind."

"What can I do differently?" he whispered.

"What can any of us do? Learn by our mistakes, and hope that they don't cost too much." The Princess took a deep breath, then looked towards Caitlin.

"Would you accompany me?" she asked and smiled.

Caitlin nodded, giving me an odd look and, once we were a distance away, asked in a low voice "Did you have to be so harsh with Martin? He really didn't mean any harm."

"Unfortunately, he's been coddled by Moire. He needs to learn that his actions have consequences. I hope by being a little sharp now, his biggest mistake is Rosalind's heart."

Caitlin let out her breath. "Did I ever say that I'm really glad that I'm not a noble?"

There was still a hint of uncertainty when she looked at me though. I'd have to talk to her later.

 

"What's happening over there?" asked Caitlin, nodding across the room.

I looked over in the direction indicated. Martin and a noble seemed to talking, with some vigour judging from Martin's hand movements. It took me a second to realise that there was a third person there, a servant girl who was backed into a corner, almost hidden from view by the noble.

Anger started to burn within me. Was this what I thought it was?

*Shall we go over and see *before* doing something stupid in front of everyone?* said the Princess with some exasperation. *And do let me handle this.*

I reserved comment. Depending on the situation.

I could feel her rolling her eyes at me. *Well at least give me a fair chance first.*

By this point, we'd made our way across the room, Caitlin in tow, just in time to hear Martin saying "-can't believe that even you would stoop this low, Prospero!"

"If you won't pay me attention, I have to find some way to amuse myself. Besides, she's just a servant," Prospero silkily replied. "What does it matter?"

I didn't need to feel the tightening of Caitlin's hand on my arm to know how she felt about that little comment.

*One chance, please?* the Princess asked plaintively.

Make it good, then.

"Martin, dear, this is where you've been hiding." Martin stopped and blinked at me, mouth still gaping from delivering a retort in response. The Princess glanced at Prospero, before dismissing him. "Oh my, I *did* think that you had a little more class than to be caught in this kind of company."

Ouch.

*And that, dear Keri, is how you assault someone in polite company,* the Princess said a little smugly.

Prospero paled with anger, shocked into silence. Martin stared at me for a second, before bursting out into laughter.

The Princess looked at the servant girl, still cowering in the corner looking half frightened to death, and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" she asked with a not unkind note in her voice.

The girl looked at us with relief, curtsied, and then disappeared off into the crowd.

"Martin, I don't believe that you've introduced us," Prospero said, having recovered his composure.

"This is her Grace, Keridwen of Amber."

The Princess didn't extend her hand in greeting.

"And who is she?" Prospero asked, indicating Caitlin. Even I didn't have any problems detecting the threatening undertone to his voice.

Caitlin flinched and backed behind me a little.

I prepared to seize control of my body to protect her.

"With me," the Princess said, matching threat with threat, staring him directly in the eye.

He looked away first.

*You can relax now,* she told me.

"I would suggest," She continued, "That you find somewhere else to be and do not come to my attention again. We scions of Amber do have a reputation for unpredictability to uphold after all. As well as one for taking vengeance against those who act against that which is ours." She smiled thinly. "Do we have an understanding?"

*Assassin, dear,* she continued internally, *Could you do your best 'I'm ready and willing to murder you' pose.*

I felt the Assassin looking at me. Do it. The Assassin complied.

Prospero paled again, this time not from anger. He nodded stiffly at us, then walked away.

My body relaxed as the Princess took control again. "I assume from his manner that he is not without power," she said to Martin.

"He is the brother of one of the more powerful nobles in Rebma," he confirmed. "She has a tendency to clear up after his messes."

The Princess rolled her eyes. "Then he had better not involve me in one of his messes, otherwise she'll be clearing up his body. Despite my better judgment." She looked around, at Caitlin. "How are you feeling?"

She managed a smile. "Mostly fine. And *this* is why I don't like being close to nobles."

"I will not let him hurt you." She looked over at Martin. "I believe that there is a quaint royal tradition of vendetta." Our days in the library paying off. "It might be best if you let his sister know about that. She might be able to keep him in check."

Martin sighed. "Do you have any idea what a shark that woman is?"

"Please?" the Princess said.

"Okay." Martin paused for a moment before continuing in a quieter tone. "I'm sorry I got you involved in this. It's just... I couldn't let something like this happen."

The Princess gripped his hand briefly. "Trust me, I'm more than capable of getting involved in this kind of thing myself. Even if there might be better ways of handling things in theory." I could just feel where those comments were aimed. "Thank you for talking to his sister for me."

Martin's shoulders slumped as he walked off towards a knot of women. The Princess kept an eye on him whilst she ostensibly turned her attention back to Caitlin.

Caitlin, I thought with a little pain. She looked shaken. I wanted nothing more than to give her a hug.

*Don't, please,* the Princess said. *Anything you say here, anything you do here, will be observed and dissected. If you show that you care, then that is just blood in the water.*

She was speaking from experience. But this wasn't Caitlin's world, and she wouldn't understand.

*Explain it to her later, then. I'll try and do the best I can for now.*

Thank you.

I could feel the Princess smiling a little uncertainly at me. *Thank you, too, for trusting me this much. I don't think anyone ever has.*

How can I not? You're my sister.

With those warm fuzzies out of the way, the Princess turned her attention back to my girlfriend

"Caitlin, dear, I'm sorry that I referred to you in the manner of a possession. I didn't mean it in that way, but if I gave away how much you meant to... me, then it would have just meant that he have been more likely to go after you."

"You don't have to explain it to me," she said stiffly.

"I do, and I do like you. It's just... can we talk about this later? If I hug you in public, it really will give away more than I think would be wise at this point."

She looked into my eyes. "Later?"

The Princess smiled warmly. "I promise."

 

After Martin returned from talking to Prospero's sister, the Princess left Caitlin with him for a while and mingled. I caught sight of Propero's sister, and she definitely caught sight of me. By mutual consent between her and the Princess, we 'coincidentally' ended up at the same place at the same time.

"Keridwen of Amber."

"Titania of Venusia."

"A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise"

We stood there for a minute, the smile on her face looking as false as the one the Princess was plastering to mine, though possibly I was a little biased. Then came the small talk, about this and that, nothing of consequence.

"And do you have any equally quaint customs in Amber?"

I only knew what I'd read, but I didn't tell her that. Let her find it out for herself if she was that interested.

"Vendetta," the Princess told her, smiling.

Her expression didn't change. "Oh?"

"If someone sins against you or yours, you're expected to take retribution. Especially if you are a member of the royal family."

"You're not in favour, I take it."

The Princess shrugged carelessly. "It's just all so formalised. It stifles creativity, imagination." She leaned forward a bit, almost confidentially. "Now if someone were to offend me in that kind of way, I'd like to think that I'd really make them regret it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Worse than death?"

"You only get to kill them once, and then the fun's all over. Whatever happened to taking your time?"

She regarded me steadily. "And artistry?"

"Exactly."

*I believe the message has been received.*

Which message in particular?

*Well, two really. The first is that I am at least threatening to be ready, willing and able to do unspeakable things to anyone who crosses me. The second is that I am sufficiently creative that she can't be sure that she'll be safe if things start up.*

Oh.

"Have you ever been involved in a vendetta before?" Titania asked after a moment's pause.

"Not here. I was brought up in a shadow where things were a lot more relaxed."

And then we were back to the small talk, which continued for a little longer until the Princess felt that it was time to mingle with some other people.

 

"Can I have that explanation now?" Caitlin asked me when we were back in her house.

I'd banished the Princess as soon as we'd left the ball. I had needed to hug Caitlin, to reassure her, to reassure me. She'd been a little stiff at first, but had then relaxed and hugged me back. I'd even gotten a kiss once we were some distance away.

Now came the difficult part.

I looked down at my feet. "I haven't told anyone this," I began, a little nervously.

"Is this one of those big royal secrets you can't tell me?"

I smiled briefly. "Not really, no. It is one of my big personal secrets though. I-" I paused, swallowed, afraid that my next words would shatter our relationship. "I haven't really known you that long. Would you mind if I didn't tell you everything?"

I peeked up to see Caitlin looking at me steadily. "Just tell me however much you are comfortable with."

"Do you mind if I get a hug for this? It might help me calm down a bit."

I didn't have to ask twice as Caitlin pounced on me. "How's that?" she said softly, her words vibrating my left ear nicely.

"Better." I took a deep breath and released it. "Special people, like me, often have talents that only they possess."

"Like noble gifts?" she asked.

"Um, maybe. I haven't read about them yet. Anyway, my personal talent is that I'm in contact with other people, who have their own skills. If I need them to, they can take over my body temporarily to something."

"Like possession?"

I shuddered convulsively. "No! Not like that at all."

"It sounds like it."

Did it? Was it like possession? My mind shied away from the idea, but I could at least consider it now. My flesh crawled as I considered the idea of my sisters as entities latching onto my flesh.

*Hey! It's not like we don't have to handle the idea of you latching onto ours,* the Princess said a little indignantly.

*I don't believe that you're helping,* the Sorceress interjected.

She really wasn't. I wrapped myself tightly in my arms.

"Are you alright?" Caitlin asked.

"No," I managed, my breathing becoming rapid and panicked.

*We're your sisters,* the Sorceress said.

*More importantly, we're your friends,* the Princess added. *You can trust us.* She smiled a little ruefully at me. *We'll at least try to not let you down.*

*And we'd never do something against your will.*

The Assassin, as usual, had nothing to say.

I'm not sure that double teaming me is exactly fair.

The Princess stuck her tongue out at me. *And that's the thanks we get for helping to calm you down.*

I couldn't help laughing a little at that. Inwardly at least. I relaxed and my breath became less ragged.

"Better now?" Caitlin asked. I nodded. "Sorry if I caused that."

I smiled up at her. "No problem. I've just had bad experiences with possession. It's how my parents died. The thought of that happening to me sent me off the rails for a moment there."

"I really am sorry."

I kissed her. "I accept your apology. It's not like possession though, not really." I thought for a second. Now that the initial panic was over, I knew that there was a difference. If only I could put that feeling into words. "It's like letting a sister guide your hands. You don't have to do it, but you do, because you trust them."

"So you can stop them doing their thing anytime you want?"

I rolled my eyes. "Thankfully. Otherwise, I'd have left a trail of bodies a mile wide behind me. One of my sisters is a mite touchy, and tends to try and kill first and ask questions later."

"Should I be concerned?" She did actually seem a bit worried.

"Stopping her react was why I kept freezing when you hugged me when we first met. You may have noticed that I don't do that anymore. I think I'm starting to get her trained." I grinned wickedly at Caitlin.

"I take it that she is less than pleased at that assessment?"

"You could say that."

"Who was it guiding you earlier?"

"The Princess. She just loves those kind of affairs of state. Apparently she approves of you."

*And not just because I'm hoping that she'll bed you sooner or later.*

Princess!

*Preferably sooner.*

I'm not speaking to you. But there wasn't any real outrage in my tone. I could even contemplate the idea now without terror. Maybe some other feelings, but not terror.

"Why are you blushing?" Caitlin asked with amusement.

"Um... no reason." Okay, maybe I wasn't willing to go into those other feelings just now.

"Any other sisters I should know about?"

"The Sorceress, our expert in all matters mystical, and... someone I'm going to leave a surprise for now." The Artist hadn't finished the poster campaign yet.

"A surprise?" Mischief glinted in Caitlin's eyes. "Is there any way I can get this secret out of you?"

"My lips are sealed."

Her hands moved to my sides. "Absolutely no way?"

"Nope."

I giggled as she tickled me, shaking my head helplessly. After a few minutes of reducing me to hysterics, she stopped and sighed, looking sorrowful. "Despite my best efforts, the prisoner refused to divulge the information."

When I could speak, I said "You'll just have to wait until I'm ready to reveal your present."

"A present is it? Now, I can't believe it's clothes."

I shook my head.

"Jewellery? A holiday? A better class of drinking hole?"

"I'm not saying a thing."

"Typical." She paused for a moment, then smiled softly at me. "Thank you, Keri, for sharing that with me. I could see how difficult it was."

"Thank you for the being the kind of person I wanted to tell." I hugged her tightly. "It's a relief, in a way."

"I'm glad I could help."

"You do. You definitely do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is pretty much as far as I wrote. A little more did happen - Seraphina was brought to Amber by Brand, and there was a tentative reapprochment between her and Keri - but the game stopped after Broadway's player became seriously ill and later passed on.
> 
> For those who have managed to get this far, thanks and I hope it wasn't too bad.


End file.
